Blood Promise
by DimitrixRosebloodpromise
Summary: My version of Blood Promise, follows up SK. What will happen when Rose finds Dimitri? What if there was a way to save him? Will she find out before she succeeds, or fails, at killing Dimitri? Possible M rating later...summary is horrible, sorry...
1. Chapter 1

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**Blood Promise**

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or the characters in it, no matter how much I wish I did…

Anyway, this is my first fanfic so…enjoy! ;D And remember to review!!

**Chapter one**

Dimitri…

I found myself sobbing into my pillow once again, thinking of him. His smile, his voice, the way his touch sent electric currents throughout my body, his eyes. The eyes that held the key to my heart. The deep brown eyes that I would never see again.

It had been two days since I left the academy in my search for Dimitri Belikov. The man I loved. The man who'd been turned into a Strigoi. Some wondered why I had to find him; it was because we sort of made a promise that if we'd been turned into a Strigoi, we'd want someone to kill us--because Strigoi were the evil creatures who prayed upon Moroi and Dhampirs and sometimes humans, but they preferred Moroi blood to others--and I was going to keep our promise.

I thought I knew where to start looking--Spokane. But, when I got there, all I found was…nothing. Everywhere and anywhere that might have had even the slightest possibility of housing Strigoi--hopefully Dimitri, too--had come up empty. It was a wonder that I wasn't getting uber frustrated, but then, that might have to do with the fact that I hadn't been around Lissa for a few days. Lissa was my best friend, but I left her behind in my quest to kill of the man who was made my existence possible. And I had been avoiding slipping into her thoughts, knowing that she'd be distraught after my parting. But I knew she could handle it, she was strong…and she had Christian, her boyfriend, to help her through it. I also hadn't heard much from Adrian--the guy who liked me--for me or for my body, I did not know--whom could dream walk. I was surprised I hadn't seen him yet, even if it had only been two days.

I sighed, laying down on my bed in the hotel I was staying in while in Missoula. I had the idea where I would or should go. With no leads to help me with finding Dimitri, I sagged in defeat, feeling as though I was failing Dimitri in not finding him. However, secretly, I was glad I couldn't find him. Just the thought of destroying my true other half ripped me apart, and, to be honest, I didn't know if I was strong enough. But, I guess I had to be. The memory of the promise flashed through my mind again and I had to blink black tears, remembering back to the happy times before everything was so difficult…and before I had to kill Dimitri. Sure, it was the time when Victor Dashkov was plotting against us, all in order to rule Moroi society, but it was still a happier time. I'd do anything to go back to those moments.

But times have changed, and I couldn't get caught up in the past and lose sight of what I had to do now.

_But where to start?_ I growled at myself mentally. _Maybe sleep will help broaden up my ideas._ It was worth a shot.

I closed the curtains; it was still light outside and I started sleeping at human's nighttime like I used to when Lissa and I had run away. Sleeping while it was still light outside was harder than it used to be, especially when I wasn't tired. Luckily, the curtains were black so they blocked out most of the light from entering the room, allowing my to sleep with more ease. Slowly, I drifted off into my dreams. Well, _a_ dream.

I was in a meadow. An old house with a white wooden porch appeared in front of me. There were two lawn chairs on the porch, so I walked over to sit in one. To my non-surprise, Adrian sat down next to me.

It was hard to admit, but I really missed seeing Adrian, and seeing him now made my heart ache for my friends. But it didn't matter anyway, I probably wouldn't make it back to see them again. Breaking promises, I guess it was what I did. The only promise I vowed to keep was the one I had made to Dimitri, which is funny because it's probably going to be the promise that's keeping me from keeping all the other promises I made.

"Hey, Little Dhampir." Adrian said, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. His voice sounded happy, yet solemn at the same time.

"Hi, Adrian." My voice was quiet, and surprise hit me at he sound of it. I hadn't really heard my voice lately, and using it felt somewhat odd.

He cocked his head to the side, curiosity at my unusual silence, no doubt. "Are you okay, Little Dhampir?"

_No, of course not! Would you be if you had to kill the person you loved more than anything in the world? _I said mentally, verbally, I said, "Yes."

He seemed to be getting frustrated by my lack of words. "Where are you?" He decided he'd just give up on the small talk.

"A place." I loved when I got to frustrate people, it just brightened my day.

"Well, no duh. Where exactly?"

"A place with people and food and streets…" my voice trailed off with the thought, I had more important things to ask. "Adrian, is Lissa okay? And Christian, and everybody?"

His face grew solemn and I knew what he was going to say, "Not exactly. Lissa's trying to cope, but it's really hard for her, you know. It's like without you there to take away the bad stuff, she's getting kind of depressed." I gulped, worry flowed thick through my body.

Lissa couldn't get depressed again. I remembered briefly about what happened last time it got really bad and that it could, no, would, get worse I never saw her again. I wouldn't let her get depressed like that again. "What about Christian and the others?" I asked urgently. As long as she had Christian, I'm sure Lissa would be okay.

"Christian's okay. I guess. He's kind of mad at you for leaving Lissa, and he doesn't understand why you wanted to drop out before graduation," I flinched, but Adrian continued, not noticing. "But he misses you, which you might think is unusual…" I did think it was unusual, but weirder still, I missed him too. "And Eddie's kind of…well he feels like he let Mason down by letting his girlfriend do this." I rolled my eyes at Adrian calling me Mason's girlfriend, but otherwise felt horrible for what I was doing to all of them. But, then I remembered again why I was putting them through all this and was quick to compose myself.

"And you?" He froze, he hadn't been expecting me to ask about him. I looked at him seriously to show him this was no joke.

"I'm…fine, I guess. And, so long as I can see you, I guess I'm better. But I miss you, Rose. So much. Please come back" He pleaded and guilt washed over me. He seemed to let his guard down and looked…vulnerable.

"I can't, right now, Adrian. You know I can't." my voice was almost a whisper and I couldn't look him in the eye. "But, we can keep talking like this for a while, right?" I couldn't believe I was trying to comfort Adrian, but my emotions had been going haywire ever since I learned about Dimitri's Strigoi-ness.

He turned his gaze toward his feet, his expression concentrated. "Right." he said at last. "And, I _will_ see you again. By the way, you never did tell me where you were. I'm not _that_ stupid you know." I had to stifle a giggle.

"I told you, I'm at a place." He rolled his eyes.

"I know you're at a place! But _what_ place?!" he was getting angry and frustrated…interesting.

"Ugh, fine, I'll tell you. I'm in Missoula right now, but I'm leaving after this so don't bother trying to find me." He seemed stunned that I was so close.

Then recognition showed on his face, "Did you check Spokane?" he questioned and I nodded.

"Yeah, I finished checking it out…nothing. So I drove all night at top speed to Missoula and camped out in this hotel for a while." I didn't know why I was telling him this, but I figured he, or anyone else, wouldn't be able to find me before I left.

"I see." He nodded his head for a few seconds, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers. Then he looked up at me, wonder in his emerald eyes, "Are you okay, Rose?" he asked for the second time, but there was a different…seriousness, I guess you could say.

"Um, yeah. Just kinda confused, you know. I don't know where to go and it's hard." I was on the verge of tears; never finding Dimitri was a horror that I hoped I'd never have to face. I had to stay positive, I'd find him. I'd find him.

"Hey, Adrian, why didn't you come the other two days? Why today?" My question wasn't accusatory, just curious.

He looked down for a few seconds, then up again. "I didn't think you wanted company."

"Oh." That stumped me, and this time it was _me_ cocking my head to the side. "I don't really mind it, actually. It's nice to talk to someone and feel civilized every few days, now that I'm on my own."

His face brightened. "So you don't mind me visiting?"

"Not really, just promise not to ask too many questions or I will no longer require your presence."

He nodded, happy that I was allowing him to visit, well mentally at least.

I smiled, happy to see him happy. "Well, I should probably wake up now, lest, the sun should set and I'll be stuck driving through the dangers of night." I announced, standing up from my little chair. Adrian stood up with me, hugging me tightly, and finally, letting go. He smiled at me and then the vision became a blur. I woke up in the hotel room once more and, after a few stretches and yawns, I walked over and opened the curtains--still bright outside. It was only three in the afternoon so I decided I should probably get going. The problem was: _where?_

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So...what'd you think? Please Review and tell me if I should give up on my fantasy world and cry for weeks in a fetal postition in my room, with a bucket of ice cream and a shovel while watching spanish soap operas...or, not. Thanks for reading! Please review and I will be posting my next chapter in a few days.


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG! Two chapters in one day, you lucky ducklings! And I want to say thank you to everyone who read and everyone who reviewed, *cough* review this chapter! *cough* Sorry, got something caught in there. Anyway, I have to give a thanks to my awesome friend Allie who has kept me laughing through all this with her goofy shenanigans. See Allie! I told you I'd acknowledge you! And you didn't think I would. What now! Anywhoo, here's chapter two and remember to review! Oh my gaw! That rhymed!**

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**Chapter two**

Packing up my things was easy because I hadn't brought much with me after I left the school. I had a couple of clothes, tennis shoes, a stake--they never did take it away from me after the raid of Strigoi--and the load of money Adrian gave me. Which reminds me, I forgot to thank him for the money. _Oh well._

When I entered the lobby with my small load of belongings, I looked around--a ton of people were in the lobby with all there luggage. It didn't seem natural and it looked like everyone that was staying at this hotel was in the lobby.

And they were all staring at me.

But their looks weren't curious, they were suspicious, angry, scared, shocked, etcetera, etcetera. I couldn't understand why and as I was shoving a doughnut in my mouth whole, the lady at the front desk spoke up.

"A man came here looking for _Rosemarie Hathaway_. Looks like it's you." Her voice sounded unkind and cruel, but, underneath all that, I could sense fear.

I narrowed my eyes, preparing one of my smartass comments, but the mention of a man caught my attention. "Who was he? What did he look like?" My voice was urgent and I tried to compose myself so I didn't look like I was begging.

"Blonde, red eyes, really pale skin…" fear and nervousness filled her voice and I thought I saw her trembling. "He said that if we somehow managed to bring you to him, that he wouldn't kill anymore people."

Shock coursed through my veins and my breath caught. Slowly, I was able to speak somewhat coherently. "W-wait, he already killed someone?" Why would any Strigoi do that in public? Not even _they_ would really risk humans finding out about our secret races.

"Yes, as a matter of fact he killed one child and both his parents." She glared at me and I looked around the room, noticing police and paramedics all over the place. I turned back to her sneering expression, which was starting to piss me off.

"Look, I don't know why the hell you think you can scare me, and I don't really care. None of this makes sense." my voice was dark and menacing, just as I liked it to be.

"The problem is, it's _your_ fault those people died because that blond guy came here to get _you_. And he said he wouldn't kill anymore people if we turned _you_ over. Get the picture?" Ouch, that was harsh. Too bad I didn't care. She crossed her arms over her chest to look tough, but under that 'threatening' exterior, I could feel the fear radiating from her.

Realization struck me; the blonde. The one who got away during the raid at the school. I kept my voice strong even if I felt anything but. "And you believed him? Well, that doesn't matter anyway because he won't have another chance to talk after I'm through with him." I didn't tell her that I was going to kill him because I'd probably get charged for murder, what with all these police officers and this desk lady being a witness…

Her expression changed to worry and she was clearly scared of me. I smiled darkly, she finally learned not to mess with me.

She was about to say something when she was interrupted by a police officer with the name 'Bob' on his golden nameplate. _Bob,_ _such a unique name. _I thought sarcastically.

"Excuse me miss, but that won't be necessary. We'd just like to ask you a few questions before you leave."

I rolled my eyes. "Actually, it will be necessary. I'm the only one who knows how to handle him and I don't have time for questions. I have to leave right away or I won't get there in time." Wow, I was actually telling off a police officer. Oh well, it wasn't like he could really do much to me. I turned back to the desk lady. "Where did he say he was at?" I felt a gentle tug at my shoulder and turned around to see the police officer still standing there.

"Miss, we really need to take you in for questioning." He pressed and I crossed my arms over my chest. I usually wouldn't have denied a police officer, but in this case, the situation was more important than listening to a stupid cop.

"And I told you, I can't. Just ask me some quickly because I have to be out of here soon, or else I'll be late."

He seemed annoyed but he went on asking anyway. "What part do you play in this situation?"

"Umm…" how could I answer that? "I knew him before and he held a grudge against me for breaking up with him." Ew, just saying that I went out with that Strigoi was enough to induce vomiting.

Scribbling something on a notepad, he continued with his questioning. "Why do you think you can stop him?"

"Because I know him and I know how to calm him down. And there's really no need for you to get involved."

"No need? Miss, he murdered three people." If only I had compulsion.

"Really, you don't stand a chance against him or any of them."

"Neither do you, ma'am." I scoffed, I definitely stood a better chance than him.

"Is that so?" I turned away from him. "Where did he say he was?" I asked the lady at the desk and she looked at a notepad.

"A warehouse near a supermarket here in Missoula."

I smiled condescendingly and walked out the door, leaving a dumbstruck expression on both the cop and the women at the front desk.

Opening the door to my car, I realized there were like a million markets here in Missoula and I inwardly groaned. No way was I going back in there where I would, no doubt, be bombarded with a bajillion questions. **(Yes, I realize that I just made up a number. Got a problem with it, take it up with someone who cares.)**

I gave an exasperated sigh and climbed into my awesome car. While driving, I thought about the blonde guy--I was eager to find him and bash his head in for threatening Lissa. He might also give me some answers as to where Dimitri was. Unless…Dimitri was there too. It would make sense for them to be all together. But, then again, Dimitri was never the _group_ type.

I pushed my foot down on he gas and slowly built up speed. Pretty soon, I was going eighty-five in a fifty-five zone.

I drove to the area that most of the supermarkets here were located. They had a ton of them so it took forever to find the warehouse.

Three hours to be exact.

The sun already went down by then and I wondered if I should continue with the operation or just come back tomorrow. _Better not risk the lives of people if he decides to go back to the hotel to make more threats with the deaths of people…_

"Finally." I muttered as I pulled into the deserted parking lot of the supermarket that was near the warehouse containing the Strigoi.

Pulling the key out of the ignition, I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. _Okay, so there's going to be the blonde guy in there, and most likely some others. I can probably handle that. But if everyone else from the cave that survived is there, I probably won't make it. And if Dimitri's in there, he'll probably be the second one I kill. The first being the blonde who threatened Lissa's life…_

My thought trailed off as the nauseous feeling I got whenever a Strigoi was near crept up on me and overwhelmed my circuits. I turned my head toward the warehouse and saw a man walking out, towards me. He was tall and had dark hair…and he was creepy-looking. The more closely I looked at him, I could see that he was abnormally pale and had striking red eyes. Strigoi. He was walking with a casual way about him and I narrowed my eyes, quickly checking that I had the stake. I nodded to myself, inhaling one more breath of air before I got out of the car.

Suddenly, the was standing in front of me, hands in his pockets, his stance remaining casual. I grabbed my stake and placed it over his heart. The weird part is that he didn't even try to stop me. Threateningly, I stabbed it through his clothes until the stake was touching his skin. But I wanted answers, so I couldn't kill him…yet.

He seemed amused and remained still.

"You are going to give me answers." He nodded, still smiling. I was eager to smack the smile off his disgusting Strigoi face. "Who's all in the warehouse?"

"A lot of people," He smirked. I don't have time for this!

"Is Dimitri in there?" This question confused him and the annoying smirk was gone.

"Who's the hell's Dimitri?" I dug the stake into his skin for emphasis and saw him wince from the burn and I gritted my teeth.

"Dimitri Belikov. Tall with long, dark brown hair. Strigoi like you." It hurt to call Dimitri a Strigoi like this dude, but I had to learn to accept it.

Unfortunately, the dreadful smirk was back. "I don't know anyone who looks like that, or has that name." I was beginning to lose my self control.

I shoved the stake in further and he staggered backward. "Stop messing with me, damn Strigoi. How many are in there?"

He started to look worried, but he quickly composed himself. "I'm not telling you." It was childish and it drove me over the edge.

Barely hanging on to my self control, I took the stake and swiped it across his face, knowing it would burn him. He wailed in pain and swung his arm out at me, and I dodged it, placing the stake over his heart once again and pushing him against the tree. One of his hands remained on his cheek, where the cut was the deepest. He was hyperventilating and I chuckled darkly.

"Now tell me, how many are in there?" My voice was sickly sweet and he shuddered.

He actually seemed scared. A Strigoi, scared of me.

"E-eight or nine. I don't know! And there's a couple snacks." I knew that 'snacks' was referring to the people the Strigoi fed off of. Sick bastards.

"Thanks." He was no longer of use to me so I pulled my arm back and plunged the stake into his heart with full power. He yelped and fell limply to the ground. "Jackass." I muttered staring at his body.

I left him there on the pavement while I walked off toward the warehouse to take down this pack of Strigoi.

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**Sorry, that chapter was a little longer than I suspected. But, I guess you'll just have to deal. Y'all should remember to review. Share the love and I will be forever grateful. And if I don't get any reviews, I'll be forever depressed and will begin to have a dark aura like Rose. Please don't put me through madness, review. And P.S. I will try to update soon because I got the next chapter all thought out and it's the most interesting one so far, at least I think so. If you have any suggestions or comments on anything--random or otherwise--hit the big green button!!**

**Thanks! ~Jess**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my party people! Well, here's my chapter three and I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Also, if you haven't read my profile, I'm sick and I hope that doesn't effect the quality of my stories. Hopefully not. But I want to thank my friend Danielle who has told me when things didn't make sense in my stories, therefore making everything less stupid. Also, I want to thank vampfreak290 for the input and I will most definitely use some of that. Thanks! Well, I'll shut up now so you can read. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome series or the characters featured in it.**

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**Chapter three**

I edged the door open a crack and a beam of light blinded my eyes. As my eyes adjusted, I looked in through the crack to see what they were doing, thinking maybe I could catch them by surprise. The nauseous feeling was overwhelming, but I pushed it to the back of my mind, needing to focus on more important things.

They were standing in a loose circle in the center of the decrepit room. Unfortunately, I could only see three of them because a ton of boxes were blocking my view, so I couldn't tell how many there were. However, I did see two people with bags over their heads sitting in chairs in the middle of the grouping, their heads hanging limply. I would get them out of here if I had the chance.

Then a voice came from one of the unseen Strigoi, "What's taking Vertikov so long?" Who was Vertikov? The Strigoi I just staked? "I'm going to check and see if he found anything." He had a heavy Russian accent and I knew it wasn't Dimitri. The other Strigoi nodded their heads and I saw the red-eyed freak walking towards me.

I backed away from the door, rounding the corner of the warehouse, hoping to catch him by surprise.

When he exited the building, he quickly checked his surroundings and I held perfectly still, not even daring to breathe. He obviously didn't notice me because he continued walking towards the parking lot a minute later.

I ran up behind him, knowing he heard me coming. He turned around in one swift movement, his arm automatically reaching out to claw at me. Defensively, I stabbed the stake into his hand; he wailed in pain. I took advantage of his weakness and shoved him against the wall of the supermarket, placing the stake over the center of his chest. He snarled at me, but otherwise, didn't move.

"Is Dimitri Belikov in there?" I growled, having a hard time keeping my cool.

He just smiled and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would. Now tell me before I shove this stake into your heart."

"You're just going to kill me anyway, so why should I?"

I sighed, he wasn't going to give me answers. I then proceeded to stab the stake into his chest.

I watched his eyes pop out, but he surprised me by laughing. "Psychotic bastard." I muttered, pulling my stake out of his chest and watching him fall.

After I hid his body behind the warehouse, I walked back to the door, crouching down and peeking through the small crack in the door. I barely caught the end of the conversation.

"…telling you, I heard something!" A blonde Strigoi woman exclaimed. "I'll prove it to you." She crossed her arms and walked towards the door, while the others didn't seem to care about her leaving.

I rounded the corner once more, waiting for her to come. She took a few steps and then started looking around, trying to find the source of the voices she, no doubt, heard.

I took a few steps forward and she whipped her head around, hissing at the sound of my approach. I pulled out my bloody stake and held a defensive position. The blonde crouched down and launched herself at me. Big mistake.

As she reached her arms out towards, I put the stake in front of me and she didn't have time to dodge it. _These Strigoi are so stupid and naïve. They're probably new to their Strigoi-ness._ The stake went right into her heart and her last moments of sight were of me smiling darkly. I pushed her body off of the stake with my foot, leaving her body on the dirt.

I rushed back to the door, only to be retreating back to the corner, my new hiding spot. I leaned against the wall to hear the muffled conversation. Someone said something like, "Blate, go survey the land."

The front door opened and I waited for the man to get far enough away from the building.

Except he didn't.

As soon as the door was shut, he was in front of me. I prepared myself for a fight, but it didn't come. He was obviously stronger and better than the others, but he didn't attack. He simply grabbed my arm--the one that held the stake. He could've killed me then and there if he wanted--I was clearly not in the position to put up much of a fight--but he just stood there, restraining me.

"Rosemarie Hathaway?" He whispered calmly and I could tell he was battling his hunger for my blood.

"What if I am? What are you gonna do? Take me in there and suck the life out of me?" I couldn't hide my disgust for the creature in front of me, even if he wasn't killing me.

He rolled his eyes, "Someone told me to protect you from them." He gestured toward the others in the warehouse.

Well that was unexpected. "Protect _me_? Strigoi don't protect Dhampirs, in case you didn't get the memo." I demanded, yanking my arm away from his tight grasp and he just let it go. "Anyway, who told you?"

"Someone." I could tell that he wasn't going to answer me by the look of his expression.

"Who, damn it!" I almost yelled, nearly blowing our cover.

"I can't tell you!" He whispered just as loud.

I let out an exasperated sigh, attempting to calm myself down. "Just tell me, is Dimitri Belikov in there?"

He studied me for a minute. "No. But don't _try _kill me because I'm trying to help you." He said, seeing my resolve. "And I promise I won't kill you because of my orders. Come on, I have to get you out of here."

He began trying to pull me away, but I yanked back. "No! I have to kill the blond guy and set those feeders free. And besides, how do I know this isn't a trick?"

He rolled his eyes yet again. "It's not a trick, otherwise I would've killed you by now. And you can't go in there, you won't stand a chance against the four of them." Ah, so there were eight of them total, including this guy and the ones I staked.

"I'm sorry but I find it hard to trust a Strigoi. And you have no idea what I can do."

He stood silent, contemplating for a moment. "I don't know how to make you trust me. You know, I didn't choose this, and neither did the guy I'm working for. That's why you should trust me, because I'm trying to go against my nature."

I had to scoff at his little, _I don't want to be a Strigoi_, sob story. "Nature? There's nothing natural about being a Strigoi. But okay, let's say I do trust you, where would you take me?"

"Back to St. Vladimir's. The boss said he doesn't want you to be killed by those guys." His expression was earnest, but not enough to make me go back to St. Vlad's just yet.

"The boss? You sound like one of those mobsters. And sorry for the let down, but I can't go back there. I dropped out and now I live on the streets. There's no going back for me." I didn't mention that I would go back for Lissa, but if I told him that, then he would use that as an excuse to take me back. He seemed surprised at my resolve.

"Of course there is. You can't just live out here. You'll die."

I barked out a laugh without humor. "I'm not scared." My voice was cold and deadly. He looked at me as if I were insane. Maybe I was.

"What if you never find him?"

I shrugged, "Then I'll die trying. I told you, there's no going back for me. Not now, maybe not ever." If I made it back, it would only be for Lissa.

"What if you find this, _Dimitri_, and find a way to un-Strigoi him or something?" I had to laugh at the term _and_ the logic.

"There's no way that you can _un-Strigoi_ someone. It's never been done."

"What if you find one of those, what are they called? The ones with the new element. What if you find one that can heal them back from their Strigoi-form?" I flinched at the mention of a spirit user.

"Of course I'd go back, but there's no such thing as a spirit-user who can bring a person back from their Strigoi-ness, so there's no point in trying."

"Well, what if they tried hard enough to heal them from death?" How did he know so much?

"I doubt they could do it. Besides, if they could, it would probably take a lot out of them. And plus, I think the death has to be recent and not _lost your soul_ dead."

He was about to say something when we heard someone coming through the door. The helper-Strigoi pushed us both against the wall.

I was closest to the bad Strigoi, (was it possible to be a _good_ Strigoi?) so I ran up behind him and stabbed the stake into his back. He squealed in pain, (yes, he actually squealed) and turned around to face me. Big mistake. I took the stake and plunged it into his heart easily. He gurgled and fell to the floor. Three left.

I turned to face the dude who was supposedly helping me. His features were grim and dumb-struck.

"You really are good." I was surprised by his compliment, but kept my face composed.

"Thanks." I muttered, not fully trusting him enough to turn my back away from him for more than three seconds.

Turns out the remaining Strigoi had heard the non-helper-Strigoi's little pained-squeal thing and they were walking towards the door. The blonde guy, my main target, ordered a women to stay behind. "Vesa, stay behind with the snacks!"

Before they were outside, I rushed to the door and staked the first one to come out of the door.

It was a dark haired Strigoi who obviously used to be a Moroi. He fell back on the blonde who then gasped and rushed ahead of me before I could get a clear opening to stake him.

But he wasn't expecting Helper Dude.

Helper dude rushed up behind him, restraining his arms behind his back.

"Blate! What the hell are you doing?!" Blondie exclaimed.

"What I was told." Helper dude said darkly.

I place the stake over Blondie's heart, not in the mood for games.

"So Blondie, where's Dimitri?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I dug the stake into his cold skin.

"Where's Dimitri!" I said through clenched teeth.

"Who?!"

"Dimitri, the one you sank your nasty fangs into at the cave! Where is he!" I could tell I was getting scary by the incredulous look on Helper Dude's face.

"Oh, I don't know, he left us after he was awakened." His tone seemed scared, yet not completely truthful.

"Then why do you want me so badly, huh?!"

"Because I wanted to get the Dragomir girl I knew she'd come after you and then, when she did, I'd kill her."

"Too bad, then, isn't it? She wouldn't have come after me because I left her at the academy a long time ago and wouldn't have a reason to suspect I was in any danger. Besides, you won't have a chance to kill her anyway."

I thrusted the stake into his heart, taking my frustration out on him. He was the only chance I had at finding Dimitri, and he wouldn't give me answers. I twisted the stake and put my face in front of his.

"That's why you don't fuck with me." I shoved him back and he fell to the pavement, where he exhaled one last breath.

Helper Dude just stared at me with wide eyes and I walked back to the entrance of the warehouse, leaving him there.

Taking my anger out on the door, I kicked it wide open and splinters of wood flew everywhere.

The Strigoi women was standing in the front of me in a split second. Vesa, I think they called her.

I didn't bother with a speech, going straight for the kill. She dodged my first attack, then hit my back, causing me to stagger. I turned around and she launched herself at me. I dodged it, sticking my stake out. It sliced through her arm and while she was distracted, I staked her heart.

She yelped and then fell limply to the wooden floor. I then walked to where the feeders were being held. Sliding the bag off the head of the first one, I saw Molly--the Moroi that the Strigoi had munched on in the cave. Last time I saw her, she looked completely drained of life. Yet, here she sat, alive and well, alive. She had little color to her complexion and something tells me one more bite would have taken the last of her blood.

"Molly, are you okay?" I tilted her head up with my finger. She was weak but able to open her eyes.

"No! Please, don't take any more!" Molly yelled, barely audible.

"I'm not a Strigoi, Molly. I killed them all. It's me, Rose, and I'm going to take you back to St. Vlad's where you'll be safe, okay?" She nodded as recognition hit her.

After I untied her and made sure she was okay, I told her to wait near the door while I untied the next one. I gasped, backing away and falling to my knees.

Dimitri…

They lied to me.

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**Okay, so this chapter was longer and just a warning, the next chapter might be shorter but it's that way because the chapter afterwards will be ultra longer. K? k. And to everyone who reviewed and I didn't reply, I'm super sorry! I was replying randomely to reviews and I forgot who I sent responses to and I didn't want to sound stupid if I replied more than one time to someone. Anyway, please review and I'm sorry for not coming up with something witty for this little paragraph thingie. My excuse? I feel like crap. Well, I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter and I hope you liked it.**

**~Jess**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey People!! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but I was at the Twilight Midnight Party Release so I didn't really have much time. Happily, I have updated my story and I hope you like it! In this chapter, I'd like to thank my sister for being awesome. Thanks for reading and remember to review!! Oh and thanks everyone for the reviews! I'll stop babbling now so you can read. Enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter four**

I crumbled to the ground. Dimitri! It was him. I found him! I finally found him.

But he wasn't the same as he used to be. His complexion was irregularly pale and I knew that when he opened his eyes, they would be ringed in crimson red. A part of me yearned for those brown eyes I'd missed so much. But I'd never see those wonderful eyes so filled with life and love. No, I'd never see the old Dimitri that I loved so much.

Something battled within me. One side wanting to touch Dimitri and feel his warm skin. The other telling me that it was impossible and I had to do what the old Dimitri would have wanted me to do.

_You just have to tell yourself that they're not the same person you once knew. And if they have any part of their old selves left, they'll thank you for it…_

Dimitri's words sounded in my head. _What if he didn't want me to kill him? What if none of his old self ever left?_ I told myself. _No. He'd want me to do this. I owed it to him. He wouldn't want to be a monster._

Slowly, I found the strength to get up. _He's not the Dimitri you knew. He's not the same. Not the same._ I kept repeating to my self. I stood in front of him, crouching down to look at his face once more.

His old features were still there, just pale--the tan being the only thing absent from him…that I could see. Reflexively, I raised my hand and pressed it against his face. The shock of electricity still pulsed evenly throughout my body.

Then his eyes opened.

I yanked my hand back at the sight of them. Ringed in red.

"Roza." he whispered, and I saw a glint of light shine in his eyes, but it disappeared. "What are you doing here?!" he pressed angrily.

I was at a loss for words. How exactly do you tell the man you loved that you were there to kill him?

_Well, Dimitri, I came here because I wanted to kill you; seeing as how you're a disgusting, parasitic creature now…_

"You have to go back." There was a new coldness to his tone and I could tell he was having trouble trying to keep some of his old self present; the part that cared for me.

"I…can't…" I managed to say.

"Why not?!" The roughness of his voice caused me to flinch back.

"I dropped out."

His eyes went wide. "No, Roza! You can't do that to Lissa. You can't give up on your future!" Then his voice grew softer. "You'll be a legend, Roza. One of the greatest guardian's in all of history! Please…don't do this, Roza!" It seemed like the old part of his split personality was in control.

"Dimitri…" I whispered almost inaudible. "I can't go on without you. Don't you see that?! Without you, I'll be empty. You are the reason I exist!" I was losing my control in a totally different way than I did with the Strigoi.

"We can't be together anymore, Rose. You need to realize that and move on with your life." I winced, tears threatening to overflow.

"I can't, Dimitri! I just can't! Nothing will ever be the same. And I can't handle it without you! I'm not strong enough to do this by myself." The tears broke out and it looked like his soft side made an appearance at the sight of it.

"You _are_ strong! And you have to be there for Lissa and show her that you're strong and capable of protecting her. Please! Go back for her."

"I want to, but I just can't do it, Dimitri! I can't pretend to be strong when I feel so weak. And I don't know if I can handle it anymore."

"_You are not weak._ You can do it, I know you can." He stared at me with such intensity that the tears cranked up a notch.

"No, I ca-" I was cut off when Helper Dude walked in, taking my attention off of Dimitri for a second.

I looked back to where Dimitri's figure resonated and felt a rush a cold air, blowing my hair in a tornado of wind.

Dimitri was gone.

"Damn it! No!" I shoved the chair away and it ran into a pile of boxes, a loud '_crash_' sounding. I pulled my fingers through my hair. "Crap!" What now?

I ran out the door, "Dimitri!" I yelled, though I knew it was pointless.

Frantically, I looked around, searching for a clue as to where he might've gone.

Nothing.

Molly and Helper Dude walked out of the warehouse just as I punched the outside wall. My hand went straight through it, a whole wooden board flying along with it.

"Go get in the car." I told Molly, my hand running through my hair once more.

I leaned my head against the building and banged my fist on it before joining Molly whom was standing near my Bug.

"Get in." I demanded. Molly, thankfully, followed orders as I looked at the helper.

"What's your name?"

"Certos." He said it like Care-toes, with a slight accent.

"Answer one question for me," He nodded. "Why did you lie? About Dimitri being her, I mean."

"I thought you might leave if you thought he wasn't here."

"I wouldn't have left, I use every chance to kill Strigoi. And if we ever meet again, you shouldn't lie to me because it won't make a difference either way. Where are you going to go now?" I questioned curiously.

"To find the boss." _To find_… This guy might have been working with Dimitri…. If I find him again, would Dimitri be with him?

"Oh, well thanks for, um…helping me." I waved gratefully, sliding into the driver's seat of my car.

He waved 'good bye' as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"Are you okay?" I asked Molly, getting control of my emotions.

She just nodded weakly, unable to really speak.

"Listen, you can't tell anyone what I'm doing or going to do because Lissa might come after me, and that would risk her life. And you must _never_ mention what happened between me and Dimitri or what I told him. This is strictly confidential. Not even the instructors or your friends can know. Understand?"

"Yes." Her voice was so small, she definitely needed medical help soon. I refocused my attention on the road, putting more pressure on the gas pedal. After a while, I looked back at her. She was whiter than before and shaking, looking as if she was afraid we'd be attacked.

"You'll be safe now." I assured her, though I could hardly say such a thing about my future.

I slowed as I entered the street resonating in front of the academy. The guard walked out of the front gates as I got out of the car, walking toward Molly's door and pulling her out. She rested her head against my shoulder as I helped her toward the gates. The guard met us halfway and I handed Molly over to him.

"Rose!" He said, wide-eyed.

"Hi. Bye." I said turning away.

"Rose!" A voice called from behind the guard.

"Crap." I pulled my fingers through my hair.

It was Christian.

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**So was it what you expected? No? Yes? Whatever. So remember to review and I'll be happy for an eternity even if the sun collapses and we're all plunged into a dark world filled with unknown creatures and dangers beyond compare. I'll still be happy! :) Lol, thanks everyone and I'll be updating soon! :)**

**~Jess**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Party People!! Okay, that was stupid. Sorry. Anyway, here's chapter five and I hope you like it. I want to remind you peoples to review because it makes me happier and you get better chapters that way. Also, I'm trying to make these chapters full of unexpected situations and so far, I think I'm succeeding. Also, I'd like to thank DnCnChIcK369 for her awesome commentary and for her basic awesomeness. Anyhoo, here's the chapter! Enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter five**

"Hey." I said as Christian pulled me into a vice tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was calm but I knew he was close to an outburst of anger.

"Dropping Molly off. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Molly? Where'd you find her?" His expression changed to confusion and wonder and I noticed he didn't answer my question.

"At a warehouse in Missoula. You didn't answer-" he cut me off.

"But I thought the cave-Strigoi took her…?" _Cave-Strigoi_. Scoff! He was definitely not telling me something, but I didn't care. It probably wouldn't matter anyway.

"They did. And I killed them. Well, except for Certos and…" I couldn't bring myself to admit that I hadn't succeeded in killing Dimitri.

"Who's Certos? And how many were there?"

"I think eight including Certos. He's the Strigoi that kind of helped me, I guess."

His eyes went wide and if I wasn't so depressed about losing Dimitri, I probably would have laughed. "Killing seven Strigoi is one thing, but the fact that a Strigoi _helped_ you is completely insane!"

"Well then I guess I'm insane." My tone was indifferent as I tried to keep my rage for Dimitri's escape from showing.

"Yes, you are." His eyes tightened and he pursed his lips. I could tell that he was about to lecture me about Lissa. "By the way, what the _hell_ were you thinking when you left Lissa?!" He growled.

"What I do is none of your business. I did what I had to do." I turned away from his fierce gaze. I couldn't let him know how much my 'abandoning' Lissa hurt me.

"You had to leave her behind so you can run and hide?" Then my attention snapped back on him, my eyes narrowing.

"_I am not hiding._" I growled and he flinched back.

"That doesn't change the fact that you left her." He didn't want to give up on this fight.

"I didn't _want_ to leave her, Christian. I had to do it."

"Why?" He pressed firmly.

"I made a promise to someone and I intended to keep that promise." I told him menacingly.

"What about the promise you made to Lissa?" He whispered darkly, knowing that it would phase me. "The promise that you would be there for her and protect her? Huh! What about that!?" His voice grew angry and I could feel my control slipping.

"Someone else will protect her." I mumbled, looking away from his sharp gaze.

"Someone else? Someone else! Rose, she doesn't _want_ someone else! She wants you! And if you aren't going to be there for her…well, I don't know what she'll do. She needs _you_, Rose! You! Not some other guardian. You're her best friend and you're what she needs." His words were like a splash of ice water.

"And what if I can't be there for her?! No matter how much I want to, I'll never be able to be the same person I used to be with her. Never!" Then I exhaled exasperatedly. "I have to go, Christian."

His anger turned to sadness. "Rose, don't. Please stay."

I shook my head. "I have to go. But, tell Liss I miss her. And…I'll miss you and the others too. But I have to leave or else I'll probably fall asleep at the wheel or something." Christian's face fell and he pulled me into another hug. As weird as it was, I couldn't help but hug back. I would miss Christian, but I had a job to take care of.

As I pulled away, we smiled at each other in an attempt to at least _seem_ happy. I waved good bye as I slid into my car, driving back the way I came.

Then the headache happened.

It was an unimaginable pain, like something eating away at the inside of my head. It pulsed evenly and I felt as if I might lose control of the car. Frantically, I pulled over on the shoulder and desperately gripped my head, wanting badly for the headache to leave.

Black spots began to fill my peripheral vision and I was soon distracted by the ghostly figure sitting next to me. I gasped, pulling away at the sight of it.

I slowly began to recognize the figure. Yuri.

I flinched back. He had the same expression that Mason wore before he moved on: sad and sorrowful. "Y-Yuri?" I mumbled, trying to configure the pain, wincing every now and then when I got an extremely painful pulse.

I focused all of my attention on Yuri and the pain gradually began to dull. "Yuri?" I asked once more, my vision clear enough that I could see him nod his head.

"W-what are you doing here?" He opened his mouth and I could hear a faint whisper.

"Help. You." His voice was almost inaudible and I figured I could only hear him because I had just killed seven Strigoi, though that conclusion took a few minutes of thought.

"You're going to help me?" I stated stupidly. He nodded as if it were obvious. "Do you know where Dimitri is?" He stared at me for a few seconds and then nodded. "Where?!" I said, growing excited in hope that I could find Dimitri once more. I never thought I'd be so happy to see Yuri after he died back at the cave.

He shook his head as if denying me the chance to know where my once true love was at. I gave out a dumbstruck expression and narrowed my eyes. "If you're here to help me, why aren't you helping me?!" I grumbled.

"Sleep." He said in a deathly whisper, sending shivers down my spine.

"Fine." I finally replied after a few minutes thought. I was too tired to go looking for him anyway, so might as well get some sleep. Though, part of me worried that by waiting another day, Dimitri would find an escape and Yuri wouldn't be able to find him. But then, I had no choice either, knowing Yuri wouldn't tell me anything until I slept.

Turning the car on, I mumbled unintelligibly about Yuri not telling me the things I wanted to know.

The hotel I stayed in was grander than the one I had stayed in last night, but just by a little. However, when I turned into the parking lot, a nauseous feeling crept over me.

"Shit." I muttered, pulling out my stake and opening the door. Before I even had the chance to close the door, I was attacked by a blond-haired Strigoi. Lucky for me, I had been anticipating a surprise-attack and was prepared for it.

As he lunged forward toward me, I kicked his face, sending him back a couple steps. He growled and then made another move. He managed to get a pretty good smack on my arm, which would be bruised later, but I got a better shot. As he grabbed the bruised arm, pushing me against the car, I grasped the stake which had been placed in my belt. He noticed what I was doing and backed away slightly which was his mistake.

In backing away, he made my target--his heart--clear for a perfect staking. I lunged forward, staking him square in the chest. He gasped, falling to the ground as his friend came up to me, giving me a hard slap. It hurt and made me see spots, but as soon as my vision cleared, I managed to get a good kick on him. He hardly stumbled and I figured he was older than the other one.

He grabbed my shoulders, running me over to a wall and banging my head against the hardness of the concrete bricks. My vision blurred for a few seconds as he leaned his head towards my neck. Thankfully, he was too stupid to realize that he wasn't restraining my arms and I was able to stab the stake into his back. He pulled backward, wailing in pain and growling savagely at me.

I gave him a dark, menacing smile and thrusted my stake at him. The pain in his back caused his movement to slow and it was that much easier to stake his heart.

I tucked my stake into my belt and grabbed my duffel bag. Yuri since then disappeared but I was guessing I could summon him up once in my room.

After I checked in, I looked around for signs of anyone having seen my little battle outside. Nope, no one.

Except…

This little girl was staring at me as if I was a leper. When I looked directly at her, she squealed and turned away. Well, it's not like anyone will believe her story. Nope, no other witnesses.

I shook my head as I made my way towards the elevator, bringing me to my room.

Once there, I propped my self, along with my bag, down on the bed. My memories came rushing back into my head, triggered by what, I did not know.

Dimitri being grabbed by the blond Strigoi flashed through my mind. Remembering that I was being restrained made me think, if only I'd been a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, maybe then, Dimitri would still be alive and I wouldn't be on this journey.

But I wasn't faster or stronger and I had to deal with that.

His eyes--brown and full of life--made their way into the flashback. They transitioned from the loving brown to the cold crimson ones that I had witnessed earlier this day.

"Roza…" A deathly voice whispered. The eyes stared at me intently. "You're going to die, Rose." The voice said quaintly and my eyes flashed open.

I was still laying on the bed in the same position as when I got here, the lamp light still shining brightly. But something had changed, something felt different. I sat up, going to the window, slipping open the curtains as a brilliant light blinded me. Sunlight.

I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep and the clock located conveniently on the nightstand informed me that it was eleven thirty-seven in the morning.

My hand automatically moved to my forehead. _How could I have slept so long?_ "Damn it." I mumbled to myself.

Urgently, I grappled for my equipment, needing to find Dimitri while he was at a disadvantage. Hopefully, he hadn't gotten too far last night.

As I pulled on my shoes, I called out for Yuri.

"Yuri!" I used the same voice as I had when I called out for Mason before I found out that Dimitri had been transformed into a Strigoi.

"Yuri! I need you!" I called again, putting more power into my voice. After a minute, his ghostly form materialized.

"Yuri, where's Dimitri?" I cried desperately as I tied the laces of my shoes.

He pointed toward the door and I groaned, "Yuri, I'm going to need better instructions than a direction. Where in the fucking world is he?" My request was a little rougher than it needed to be, but he was a ghost, therefore he shouldn't care.

"Port-" was all he was able to mutter.

"Port what? Port Angeles? Portland? What?" He nodded. "Yes what? Port Angeles?" He shook his head. "Portland?" He nodded. "All the way in Oregon already?!" I questioned incredulously.

He simply nodded and motioned for me to go and I obeyed.

"Does he have anyone else with him?" I asked as we, or actually _I_, got situated in the Bug.

He mouthed the word 'one'. "Certos?" I asked eagerly and he nodded once again.

"So he _does_ work for Dimitri." I said more to myself than to Yuri.

I grumbled as I stomped on the gas pedal, wanting to get to Portland before dark, and before Dimitri had the chance to escape.

I was aware that I was going forty miles over the speed limit, but at the moment I didn't give a crap. And if the police were posted, they weren't coming after me so I didn't really have much to worry about.

Hours passed and I got closer and closer to my destination. And my going forty miles over the speed limit also helped in my quest for Dimitri. I still had an hour more to go before I made it to Portland; the sun was still high enough in the sky for me to get there, get Dimitri, and…kill him.

But much to my dismay, there was a traffic jam right smack in the middle of the road. I slammed on my brakes, managing to not cause an accident.

"Damn it!" I yelled, honking the horn and opening the window. "Hurry the hell up!" I doubt that anyone heard me but I felt the need to do it.

The sun was slowly descending and I honked frantically. The jam hardly moving and my anger rising. _Why am I getting so overworked? I'll still have a little time to get Dimitri…_ But the anger never faltered and I lost my control. But before I had any time to piss off the drivers in front of me, the enormous headache I had gotten before I saw Yuri came back with a vengeance. I cried out in pain, pressing my hands to my head, as if the pressure would relieve some of the pain.

I looked back to the passenger seat where Yuri was sitting. He was sitting there watching me while I writhed in pain. I focused all my attention on him like I did last night and was pleased that the pain began to dull. Soon, it was just a faint hum in the back of my head.

During my little period of pain, the traffic had moved up about twenty feet and I eagerly moved forward along with them. The sun was setting further and my panic began to rise, though not the anger.

Thankfully, the line of traffic began to move faster and faster and soon, I was able to go forty over the limit again. I reached Portland with just a small amount of sun left. Figuring I had a little over half an hour, I searched frantically for Dimitri.

"Yuri, where is he?" He pointed to the north, specifically at a mound of dirt. "They're hiding in the dirt?" he nodded and as confused as I was, I followed directions.

Approaching the dirt mound, I saw a small hole on the side. It was hardly noticeable but still noticeable enough. I entered the small hole which led down a small staircase. I followed it and there was a series of tunnels, all lit up with torches. I walked along the small hallway, which led to a large white room with fluorescent lights and a long table situated in the middle of the room. But there were people in here. Two of them.

Dimitri and Certos.

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**Okay, so I tried to make this chapter longer and I hope it's long enough for you. Is it spontaneous enough??? Review so that I know if it's any good! Oh and I also want to thank AshleyJonasx, vampfreak290, littlevampette, and Dimitriluvr for repeatedly reviewing my chapters! You guys are full of awesomeness! Also to the other reviewers, I really appreciate all your reviews and I'm sorry if I didn't acknowledge you. I really do love all the comments on my story and I don't mind any kind of criticism because criticism always helps to make the stories better if they need to be. So, as I say, I don't want to disappoint, so review and tell me what you might like to see and I'll consider some things. Thanks people!!!**

**~Jess**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yo, my homedogz! lol, jkjk. Anyway, sorry this chapter took so long to write. I had school crap so I didn't have time. I also didn't have time to go over this chapter so there's probably many errors in there. Sorry! But whatever! Anyhoo, I want to thank all the reviewers and readers! Without you, this story would be pointless and stupid. :) Oh, and I'm sorry if this chapter sucks, my neck is killing me so it's hard to really pay much attention to what I'm writing. Well, hopefully it's good! Remember to review!!! :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own VA or whatever blah blah blah. On with the story!!**

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**Chapter Six**

My breath caught at the sight of Dimitri. He had changed since yesterday--the glint from his eyes had almost disappeared, coldness filling their spot.

When he saw me, Dimitri rushed up in front of me and as I looked into his face, I could see that he was warring with himself to stay the same Dimitri I knew. I could see that he desperately wanted to snap my neck and drink the blood, but I also saw that part of him wanted me to live and stay away from him.

Then Certos was by his side, giving him a sidelong glance before he backhanded me with incredible force, causing me to fly into the wall.

My vision blurred, but I got up, pulling my stake out of my belt. I lunged toward Certos, working hard to keep all emotions and my feelings towards killing both of them in the back of my head.

Certos dodged my attack, grasping hold of my back and shoving my face into the wall. While he held me in that position, I looked behind me.

Dimitri had run away again.

"Damn it! You fucking bastard!" I desperately pulled away from his tight hold. He let go but started in a run, following Dimitri's trail.

I used all my training from running laps with Dimitri to attempt to catch up with them. I could barely see Certos as he rushed on with his Strigoi speed.

I had lost them again. With no chance to reach them at this point, I gave up, slowing to a walk.

"Dimitri!" I cried out, feeling as if I should just give up. But I couldn't, I had to be there for Dimitri. I had to help him. I had to stop him from being the monster he despised.

I sunk to the ground on my knees as I called out his name once more. I wanted to just give up everything, but I had to be strong. I had to keep my promise to Dimitri.

I crawled over and leaned against a sign that said, "Welcome to Portland," Welcome indeed. Welcome bloodsucking monsters. Lovely.

I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them loosely, and leaning my head back on the sign.

I felt myself fading away into someone else's thoughts. Lissa was walking to the classroom with Christian whom looked a little nervous. She watched him curiously; even though she was really depressed, she still wanted to be there for him.

"Hey, uh, Liss…" By the look on his face, I could tell he hadn't told Lissa about seeing me yet.

"Hm?" She mumbled, looking straight forward.

"I…saw…Rose, yesterday…" She stopped dead in her tracks, her fingers twitching. A million emotions flooded through the bond: sadness. Anger. Depression. Worry. Fear. Etc…

Then she stared at him darkly. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Her voice was like ice, which felt out of place for her.

"Because you were so busy researching St. Vlad and I didn't want to interrupt." She looked away, exhaling a breath.

_She's still researching St. Vlad?_ I asked myself.

"I'm sorry. What's worse is that since we start class, everyone's going to be talking." She sighed, thinking about what to tell the crowd about my disappearance.

"Just ignore them. Rose brought it all on herself." This angered me the slightest bit, but I let it go. He was right, I did bring it all on myself.

"I know, but I can't stand the lies!" I couldn't tell if she meant the rumors; or about me lying to her about Dimitri.

"Like I said, just ignore them. Rose'll deal with it when she comes back." He put an arm around her reassuringly.

Mentally, Lissa worried about me not coming back and then something about being too late…

The thought was cut off as she entered the classroom, all eyes landing on her. Each one filled with a million question. But Lissa wouldn't answer any of them. She strode past them into her normal seat beside Christian.

"Hey, Lissa, where's Rose?" Someone asked from behind her.

She ignored them as they snickered behind her. "She ran off to be a blood whore, didn't she?"

Something boiled in Lissa's blood and Christian turned around in his chair. "Shut the hell up! Leave Lissa alone, freaking bastards!" He growled angrily; the boys flinched back.

"Why should we listen to a Strigoi wannabe?" They snickered stupidly.

"Because I said so." His voice _sounded_ menacing, but Lissa was still looking forward so I couldn't see what he looked like.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Then someone screamed.

Lissa automatically looked behind her to see one of the boys on fire. Well, he wasn't _on_ fire; the fire was on _him_. It was the same thing he did to Ralf Sarcozy when Lissa and I first got back. The boy desperately tried to put out the fire while he gasped out girlish shrieks.

The flame went out as the teacher walked in. The boy pointed to Christian, "This…Strigoi lover set me on fire!"

Christian sent him a dark look. "You have no proof!"

"He did! I saw it!" The boy next to the snitch said.

"Mr. Ozera! Office. Now!" The instructor ordered. Christian got up and walked out of the room.

I returned to my own body, eager to get out of the rain that was now pouring down on me, pelting me with icy drops. Each droplet felt like a force of pain, reminding me how I continuously failed. My hair was soaked as I got up from the muddy ground.

"Well, this suit's the mood." I said to myself as I slid into the seat of my car.

I drove to a new hotel in Portland, remembering to set the alarm this time.

When the vision of a dream came, I someone else would be joining me in my dream.

I was walking along the edges of the water at the oh-so familiar beach scene, wearing the red tank top and shorts that Adrian always liked to dress me in.

"Hey, Adrian." I said before he made his appearance.

He walked up beside me, our arms brushing each other's as we walked along the beachside.

"Hello, little Dhampir." He seemed sad. "You took a while to fall asleep tonight. I was starting to worry…"

I chuckled inaudibly. "Don't worry about me."

"As much as I'd like to, I can't. I really do love you, Rose." He stared at me with the full force of his emerald eyes.

I looked away, "Don't say that, Adrian."

"But, I do, Rose. You don't underst-" I cut him off.

"Then you'll just be one more person that I'll hurt. I don't want to hurt you, Adrian." He stepped in front of me, holding me by the shoulders.

"But it still won't change the way I feel about you." Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them slip over the edge.

Adrian truly cared about me. It wasn't just fake love; it was always real. But I couldn't put him through the same pain that I was putting everyone else through.

"I don't love you, though. I can't love anyone anymore. It just makes everything worse, and it makes everything harder for all of us." He dropped his hands from my shoulders, instead, pulling me into a vice-tight hug.

The tears overflowed onto his green designer shirt. He patted my back soothingly and I wiped away the tears, not wanting to seem any more vulnerable than I already did.

"Rose, you're worth all the pain and suffering."

"But it doesn't change the fact that I'll never be the same. I don't deserve you."

"Bullshit." He mumbled. "You deserve everything your heart desires."

I backed out of his arms, "You don't get it, do you? All of this pain; all the suffering; it's my fault! Everything's my fault. And I know I can't change the past, but I don't want to make it any worse for everyone. I can't, Adrian. I just can't." I was shaking, convulsions rolling off my body.

"Sometimes, little Dhampir, you have to just forget about everyone else and do something for yourself."

"I'm already doing something for myself. I left everyone I cared about behind so I can kill Dimitri. I did it for myself and now look what's happened. Everything is broken. And it can't be fixed."

"Little Dhampir, none of this is your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine. I gave you the money to leave."

I gave him an incredulous look, "I would've left anyway. Stop trying to make me feel better! I know what I'm doing to people, and I don't want to do it to you." A tear rolled down my cheek as the vision blurred.

"Rose!" Adrian called out, reaching his arm towards me. But it was already too late, I had left, taking the dream with me.

When the dream transitioned into a normal one, it was about the red eyes again, reminding me of my failure.

In the middle of the nightmare, I heard a buzzing sound. Thank god, the alarm.

I woke up covered in sweat, strands of hair sticking to my face. "Ugh." I groaned, getting out from under the covers. A shower was deeply needed at this moment.

After the nastiness was washed off, I got dressed in my jeans and red tank top, putting on a black track suit jacket over the top.

The time said seven-thirty. "Yuri!" I called out, "I need you." After a minute, his ghost form appeared the same way he always did.

"Where's Dimitri now?"

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**How was it?? Good? Bad? Vomit-inducing? Sorry, it's a little short, but hey, at least I updated, right? Please review or I will most likely go into a depression in which the whole world will turn gray. Gr! Sorry, I must go now, my brother won't shut up, I have a headache and I need and ibuprofen!!! REVIEW!!!! Thanks you much! :)))**

**~Jess**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey people!!! :P So here's my chapter seven and I want to say that I might re-do my chapter six because there was more that I wanted to add. But I don't know if I will so keep a look out for it. Anyway, I was listening to dramatic, sad songs while writing this so that's why I felt the need to make it this way. Anyway, I'll give you a hint as to what's going to happen in the next chapter: just kidding! You really thought I would tell you? Just kidding about just kidding. The hint is: Rose must confront her fears. Okay, well I want to thank all my reviewers and I really appreciate everyone who does review because the more reviews I get, the more motivated I get to write another chapter. Well, I'm going to stop babbling now and let you read. Onward forth to the chapter!! :)**

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Chapter Seven

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, I stepped out of the car and turned to look at my new location.

The airport.

I had to confuse my tracks just incase anyone decided to come after me. I knew for a fact that it was highly unlikely that a Strigoi would actually ride on a plane filled with humans. If they were to fly anywhere, they'd need their own plane and with their savage ways, I felt that it was highly unlikely that they would own one.

Dimitri was definitely in America. But since I wanted to keep everyone else safe, I decided finding Dimitri could wait for now. I bought a ticket to Siberia--a typical place that Dimitri could be. Would they fall for it? _Yes,_ I decided.

As I walked up to the desk--well, actually to the line forming in front of it--I could feel someone watching me. Out of instinct, my hand began feeling the outline of my stake hidden in my belt. Which reminds me, how would I get the stake through the security?…

I looked around the room. Nothing. I gave an exasperated sigh as I turned my attention to the ever-so-slowly moving line. After about ten minutes, a total of three out of about one hundred people--okay so I'm exaggerating, sue me--had gotten their turn. My anger was rising and it took a whole lot of my control to not yell at the people in front of me for taking so freaking long.

My foot reflexively began tapping and I crossed my arms over my chest, my attention drifted off.

_What if when I'm gone, Dimitri forgets about me? _Could that happen? _It felt impossible for either of us to forget our love. It was so strong and felt like an impossible force of gravity. We had it all, we were just about to fall farther in love, but then that blonde Strigoi ruined it for us. I know I won't forget, but what about him? _A tear escaped my eye. _Our love felt like a song. Beautiful and unforgettable. But what if he did?_

_Please Dimitri, _I prayed mentally to him, _don't forget._

The line abruptly moved and I was pulled out of my internal debates. There was now approximately thirty people in front of me. Sigh. Then a quick motion flashed in my peripheral vision and my eyes darted around the room defensively. I caught sight of the cause--a Strigoi. What was he doing out during the daylight? Let alone in a place full of humans…

He snaked around the crowd, looking behind himself--straight into my eyes. I caught sight of those crazed crimson eyes that all Strigoi were a home to. He turned away, continuing his escape to wherever he was going. I looked at the line behind me. Crap. If I went after him, I'd be waiting behind a never-ending line and then finding Dimitri would probably be put off another day. I couldn't afford to wait another day--each day he would lose more and more of himself, and I couldn't let him lose all of his humanity.

Reluctantly, I kept my place in line, deciding that I'd search for him after I bought my ticket.

I was growing impatient--another person could be getting killed by that blood sucking parasite every second that I wait in this line--when they opened an extra lane for ticket purchases. Hurriedly, I rushed over to the next lane, but there were still around six people in front of me. I groaned, but, hey, it was better than thirty.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was my turn. I bought a two-day round-trip to Siberia. Hopefully Dimitri wouldn't do too much changing in those two days. I mumbled a quick thank you and then set off to find the Strigoi.

I followed the trail that he went through earlier, trying to think of where he would have gone. I remembered that the underground hideout at Spokane was hidden in a janitor's closet. Desperately wanting to make my flight _and_ kill the creature, I rushed around, looking for any suspicious places or janitor closets.

I couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary, except…there was a crowd of security officers surrounding something in one of the corners of the airport. Paramedics were also coming in with stretchers.

Curiosity and suspicion taking over, I walked over to see what all the commotion was about. They loaded something onto the stretcher. A body. _Well, duh, it's going to be a body,_ I thought, but the body was bloody and the person's eyes were seeing nothing. It was kind of creepy actually, and I knew that this was because of the Strigoi. But why would he leave the body in such a public place like that?

I remembered how he saw me when he looked back. Was he trying to tell me something; lead me somewhere? I looked around, trying to find the Strigoi.

A feeling of fear crept over me as I peered over my shoulder. There he was, standing right behind me in a stiff stance. I grabbed for my stake, but before I could even take a step, he was rushing toward the exit. I looked around, no one had noticed him. I sneaked around the guards at the door--they were too busy with everyone else trying to get in and also because so many guards were investigating the whole dead body situation, so they didn't notice me. Maybe the Strigoi had anticipated that and that's why he left the body in public. **(Yes I know in reality there would be many guards around and there would be an ultra slim chance of getting past them without notice, but let's just say that she beat the odds.)**

I ran out through the doors after giving the attendant, **(what were they called again?) **my ticket. The Strigoi was standing in the shadows of one of the corners in the building, hiding from the sunlight. I grinned evilly, he had no way out now. I walked up to him, checking to make sure no one was watching me, and put the stake up against his heart. He had no choice but to stand there because he was trapped by the sunlight.

"What are you following me around for?" I questioned roughly.

"You're Rose Hathaway." He responded.

"How does that answer my question?" I pressed eagerly.

"If I killed you then I'd be famous. Think of all the rewards I'd get." He was off in his own daydream and I laughed without humor.

"Well isn't it sad that you're in this situation then?" I pulled my stake back, but before I plunged it into his heart, he stopped me with the one thing that could stop me.

"They'll get your friends." My arm froze in midair and I instantly grew worried for my friends safety.

"Who? Who's going to get them?" He chuckled and I growled.

"Sorry, can't tell you." I was aware that they were calling everyone to get on the plane to Siberia, but right now, my friend's safety was more important.

"Tell me, damn it! What are they going to do?"

"Like I said, I can't tell you. Besides, there's no point. You're going to kill me anyway, and I wouldn't want to give away the plans." _Plans?_

"What plans?" He snickered and I narrowed my eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky I told you that they were going to get them in the first place. If not for my warning, you'd be off to who knows where while your friends get massacred." He shrugged. "But now, you'll be _here_ when they get massacred." he grinned darkly and I struck him with the stake. He gasped and fell to the ground and I dragged his body off to the bushes, no one catching sight of this unusual event.

Damn, I'd missed my flight. But, at least now that I got through the doors, they'd think that I left…but then they're going to chase after me to Siberia…and then that would leave them unprotected and whoever was going to try and kill them would have the chance to kill them!

Eagerly, I ran back into the airport, attracting attention as I did it. I could hear many people trying to get my attention, but I ignored them, my goal being my car in the parking lot.

I have to get there before they get hurt. I drove the car out of the parking spot but after I exited the parking lot and entered the highway going sixty, I was sucked into Lissa's head. It had been a while before I was sucked into her head so this must be something big. I was vaguely aware that I was probably going to skid off the road and cause some big crash, but I couldn't get out.

I tried desperately to get out of her head, but I couldn't. She was in the library with Adrian and Christian. She was reading some notes or something on St. Vladimir. Adrian was on the phone, trying to be secretive about whom he was talking to. Christian looked bored as he watched Lissa read.

Lissa's emotions were filled with worry and extreme excitement. Adrian hung up the phone and looked like he had exciting news.

"Rose just bought a ticket to Siberia." He reported happily. Lissa's face filled with relief.

"Maybe we can get to her in time." _In time?_

"Hopefully." He said wistfully.

I finally managed to get out, but it was at the wrong time. I was about twenty feet away from the person in front of me, stationed at a stop light. I was going sixty miles per hour and I knew that I was going to crash. I swerved the car to the right, slamming on the brakes.

The car crashed into the steel bars that blocked the cars from sliding into the river that was flowing heavily beneath us. With the speed of the impact, my car flipped over the edge and I knew I was going to die. Everything felt like slow motion and I laid down on my side on the seat, figuring it would be better to land that way than head first--the car was upside down--and I covered my head with my arms.

The car landed in the water with a huge splash, sinking to the bottom. The rushing waters carried my car tumbling along with it. Water rushed in through the rapidly turning car and I was amazed that the windows hadn't shattered. I knew I had to get out of there or else I'd either drown or the car would be crushed on a rock, crushing me along with it.

I grappled for my seatbelt, my hands shaking uncontrollably. It wouldn't come unfastened and I started tugging at the belt. It was extremely hard with the tumbling. The water swirled around inside the car, splashing my face and blurring my vision.

I couldn't get out. I was going to die. Who knew that after killing so many Strigoi, that I'd die from drowning. It just seemed so dumb and…embarrassing.

My hand found the buckle and I tried once more to unfasten the belt. I heard a small click and was immediately thrown forward by the car. I grabbed the door handle, tugging back and forth to open the door. It wouldn't budge. I looked for the lock, grabbing for it to unlock the door.

The water continued to make things harder for me as the level grew higher. It was up to my neck when I finally was able to unlock the door. I grabbed the door handle again and pulled it back and forth. It was stuck.

I brought my foot above the water--I could get more power that way--and put as much force into it as I could. I managed to kick out the window, but in doing so, a bunch of water rushed in. Shit.

I took a deep breath of air, maybe my last breath for all I knew, bringing my leg back and kicking a bigger hole through the window--big enough for me to crawl through.

I gripped the edges of the glass--feeling the cuts in my hands--and pulled myself through, swimming to the surface of the water. I'd made it out of the car, but now I had to make it out of the rapids. I was pulled under so many times as I struggled to get free.

I kicked against the rocks that resided at the bottom of the river. I managed to get somewhat close to the right side of the waters edge. I could feel my whole body getting scratched up, but I ignored all the pain in my desperation to get out of there.

There was a big rock coming up and I stretched my feet out, readying myself for the impact. My eyes closed and then I felt a crunch in my left ankle. I cried out in pain but used my right foot to push my self to the waters edge.

My arms reflexively grasped for something, catching grass and rocks. I pulled myself ashore and coughed as I tried to get rid of the water that filled my lungs.

I crumbled to the ground, the cold being overwhelming. The pain was unbearable and I wished I could slip into a numb blackness, but I couldn't. I remained conscious and well aware of the screaming pain coming from my ankle.

Suddenly, I felt light-headed and my vision blurred. _Finally,_ I thought, _I won't have to feel anymore._ I welcomed the blackness, as long as it took away the pain.

Then someone towered over me, but I didn't care. The blackness was filling my vision and I was eager for it to be over.

I closed my eyes and never opened them, the black waters finally overtaking my senses.

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When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that it was dark outside. My ankle was still filled with pain, but I could feel that it was wrapped in something other than my pants.

I sat up. It was covered with gauze along with all of the major cuts on my body. How did I get bandaged up? More importantly, how long had I been out? I willingly slipped into Lissa's mind this time.

She was in her room, packing the necessities. _Necessities for what?_ Then she took out a map of Siberia and Vladimir's notes. She packed them into her suitcase and walking around her room, looking for any other things she might need.

_No!_ I left her head in a rush, needing to be there before she could leave. I attempted to stand, but my ankle protested angrily. I let out a small whimper but continued. I stumbled as I limped toward the highway. I called out for help, stretching my thumb. Thankfully, someone slipped over the shoulder in front of me.

They were a couple, probably in their early thirties. "Hey, kid, are you okay?" the man in the driver's seat asked.

"No, I need to get somewhere. Can you help me?" I requested eagerly.

He contemplated for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Where're you headin'?"

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**How was that?? Sorry about all the cliffhangers, I know you all hate them, but I love them!! :P Anyway, please review and tell me about this chapter. I think I did a better job on this one than chapter six, but that's my opinion, tell me yours with a review! :) You know what's weird is that when you're writing, it feels like whatever you're writing is longer than it actually is. Because after I finished typing it up, I re-read it and it went by a lot faster than I thought it would. I tell you, six pages of typing goes by like that! *snaps* well, I'd better go, remember to review!! :)))**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! Sorry this is so late/short. I wanted to give you something to read but I didn't have much time. I've been kinda busy lately and this is getting harder and harder to squeeze in time to write. But, do not fear, there will still be more chapters coming. They just might take a while. Well, I hope that you aren't disappointed with this, and don't worry, this isn't nearing the end, it is just the beginning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the VA series or anything besides my own characters and blah blah blah, onward with the story! :)**

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**Chapter Eight**

I looked back to the car, saying my thanks to the man who drove me across three states--and drove above the speed limit even though he could've gotten pulled over. He drove off with a smile and I turned around to see the place that I hadn't wanted to see until after I killed Dimitri. Seems things weren't going my way lately.

Looks like I had come just in time because it was sunset and they were exiting the front doors of the building with their luggage. Kirova was looking at them with a disappointed expression to her face.

They hadn't seen me yet and I was wondering what would happen when they did. They'll probably either get pissed, or they'll be overly happy. Sigh. I couldn't win here.

Then Lissa dropped her bags, rushing toward me with her arms outstretched. Tears were running down her cheeks, smearing her makeup in the process.

Her arms locked tightly around my neck and she sobbed into my shoulder. I patted her back soothingly, but didn't want to get emotional, even if I felt like crying myself.

"R-Rose, y-you're back! I m-issed you so m-much!" She murmured quietly.

"Liss, I'm so sorry. I can't stay long, I haven't found him yet. But I couldn't let you leave, they would've gotten you." She pulled away and smiled at me.

"You h-haven't killed him y-yet?" I couldn't understand why the hell she would be so happy about that, it would just mean that I would have to leave again.

"No, but Liss, listen-" She cut me off with a hug that could've cut off my air supply, if not for her being so weak.

"Thank God! W-why aren't you in R-Russia? I thought you b-bought a ticket." She was still sobbing lightly and I could tell she wouldn't be mad at me right now.

"Yes, I did. That's the reason I'm here though. I missed the flight because of this Strigoi. He said that…well he said _they_ were going to kill you. And I saw that you were leaving and I needed to get here before you left, otherwise they would've found you. I just came here to make sure you didn't leave, but I have to go. And I need you guys to stay safe." Lissa shook her head as the others caught up, behind her.

Eddie was rushing up to me as soon as he caught sight of me. He pulled me into a vice tight hug, "Rose! I can't believe it! It feels like it's been an eternity!" I hugged him back and muttered a hello. I couldn't get too comfortable, though, or else I wouldn't be able to leave.

Adrian and Christian were next in line to see me, and they both gave me a quick hug. Christian held on to Lissa's hand as she continued our conversation.

"We're not staying, Rose. We need to come with you, no matter what the stakes are."

"Are you crazy?! Honestly, how many Strigoi do you think I can take on? There'll probably be hundreds coming at me with you all with me. And besides, why do you need to come with me in the first place? I told you, I'm coming back when I've done what I need to do. I just came here to warn you-"

"Rose, we're coming with you." Lissa told me. Suddenly, she seemed so reasonable. She should come with me, I needed to keep her safe myself. And if I died or got hurt, she could heal me and-

"Don't use compulsion on me!" I growled and turned away. "You're _not_ coming with me." Adrian grabbed my shoulder.

"Little Dhampir, we can help." I was careful not to look him directly in the eye just in case he would try compulsion again.

"No, you really can't. Yes, it would be great to have you there, but there will be _way_ too much danger and trouble with you there. Besides, you don't even have a feeder so how are you supposed to be helpful?"

"We were just about to grab Alice and take her with us. The school doesn't really mind because Christian and Lissa are the only ones that actually like her. And we can take on the Strigoi."

"No, you can't. I can't risk your lives like that, you need to stay here. I'll come back when I…finish everything."

"You don't seem to understand. We _need_ to go with you. And we're leaving the second you leave, whether you're with us or not."

"No, you are _not_!" I growled once again.

"We already signed the papers, Rose. Well, _they_ signed the papers. We'll all come back once the deed is done, and we'll all be together. There's nothing you can do about it, we're coming with you."

"No!" I yelled and they flinched back. "You can't ruin your lives the way I've ruined mine. You still have a future, and I won't take that away from you."

"You have a future too, Rose. With us." Lissa piped in.

"Yeah, and without you, I don't have much of a future." Adrian said and I glared at him.

"I am not taking you with me. Plus how did you even drop out? You're not eighteen yet."

"Me and Christian don't really have parents, and Adrian's a legal adult. We had to use a little magic to make them let Eddie drop too, but it's okay." Lissa explained and I huffed angrily.

"Well go tell them you were just kidding because you're not coming."

"No. Either you go with us, or we go without you. Either way, we're going."

"What's the point of going if you're not going with me?"

"We just need to find Dimitri." I winced at the sound of his name.

"Why? I'm the one that's going to kill him." Wince, yet again.

"No one's going to kill anybody." My eyebrows automatically mashed together.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we're going to save him."

Well that was unexpected.

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**So how was that? Sorry if some parts are messed up, I didn't have time to go over it and edit it. But hopefully you like it and remember to review!!!! Reviews make the world go round, and if not for reviews, I'm sure the world would stop rotating and we would all be plummeted into darkness while giant hot dogs roam the Earth hiding from the evolved form of dinosaurs which own the oceans. Sorry for that moment of insanity, I just want to urge you to review!! :) Anyway, hopefully I can have the next chapter up this week, but no guarantees. Thanks again for reading and I say Good day! :)**

**~Jess**


	9. Chapter 9

**Heya people! Sorry it's been like a few days since I updated! I want to thank everyone that read and reviewed because without you, this story would be nothing. I also want to remind everyone to REVIEW!! More reviews means faster updates!!!! Oh and sorry if this chapter is suckish, I'm really trying hard to make it make sense at the same time that I want it to sound good. Sometimes, you just want to be random, ya know? Well, anyway, I'll let you read, now. :)**

**Normal disclaimer thingy goes here.**

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**Chapter Nine**

"Look, I don't care if you think you can pretend like you can save him just to go with me. You all know there's no way to save him and you're not fooling me." Lissa opened her mouth to say something but I interjected. "And if you try to follow me, I won't ever come back." That shut them up and through the bond I could feel Lissa start to get angry and worried. She wanted me to come back and was worried that I might not, yet she was angry that I wouldn't let them come and help and also because I was blackmailing her. It's not that I didn't want them to come, it's just that--well yeah, I guess I didn't want them to come, but that's not the point! I couldn't risk them like that, why can't they see it?

"Rose, that's not fair." Adrian said, breaking the silence.

"Life's not fair, deal with it. I can't have you guys there with me, I won't risk your lives like that. You have to understand that, Liss. I couldn't handle it if you or anyone else died on top of-" I couldn't say Dimitri's name, it hurt too much. "well, you get the point."

"_You_ don't get it. We _need_ to come, Rose. We can save him, but you just need to trust us. Let us come with you and I promise we can save him. Just please, Rose. Please let us come." Lissa cried, and it was so hard to deny her anything.

"I can't!" I yelled and they flinched back. "Look, I have to go now, or else…well, I just have to go." I said turning away.

I was stopped by a wall of fire suddenly appearing in front of me. "Let me go, Christian." I growled, not facing them.

"No. Not until you let us come with you."

"Let me go or I'll just go right through it _and_ I won't come back later." He hesitated and the wall fell. Lissa's emotions turned to sadness and desperation. She so badly wanted to come with me, but she also didn't want to risk me not coming back.

"Thanks." I muttered, walking forward, through the gates. "See ya later." I waved good bye without looking at them again.

Then I heard someone trailing after me and I turned around to see who it was. My body went into shock when I saw a Strigoi standing near the gates. I had been too angry to notice the nauseous feeling that almost consumed me.

There were more.

"Crap!" I yelled, running back towards the Strigoi and pulling my stake out of my belt.

The Strigoi whipped it's head around to face me and lunged forward. Lissa screamed and my attention was suddenly on her. She was okay, just freaking over the fact that there were Strigoi here.

I faltered when looking at her and the Strigoi took advantage of it. He grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me into a standstill. Lissa screamed--this time it was obviously for me.

I struggled against him, kicking his legs and hitting ever part of him that I could manage but none of it did any damage and he leaned in towards my neck.

This is it. I won't be able to kill Dimitri. I failed and I'll never get the chance to do everything I needed to do.

A single tear fell down my cheek and I closed my eyes as I stopped struggling against him, waiting for my fate to get me.

"Good bye Dimitri." I whispered before the Strigoi punctured my neck with his teeth.

I felt the pleasure of the bite. It was a lot better than Lissa's bite--what with him being Strigoi--but I couldn't help but feel sick from the fact that a Strigoi was making me feel this way. And then, just like that, it was over.

But I wasn't dead.

I was clearly on the ground because when I peered up, I could see the moon shining brightly, and when I looked towards the right, I saw the Strigoi that was sucking my blood being held up by someone. When my vision cleared, I could see that it was Eddie. He plunged a stake into the Strigoi's heart and dropped him to the floor before helping me up.

I was really dizzy from the blood loss and still a little out of it, but I could see that Christian was setting several Strigoi on fire whom were trying to get through the wards.

Eddie rushed me through the gates before any of the Strigoi got us and I crumbled to the ground. Lissa was next to me in less than a millisecond, her hand resting against my cheek.

I could feel the magic pouring through both of us, a small tinge of darkness to it. I gasped and it went away, filling me with light and happiness--the feeling of Lissa's magic.

I was still dizzy but I could feel that the puncture wounds were sealed up. Looking around, I noticed that no one had called Kirova or any of the guardians yet and I yelled at Adrian--who was standing, staring at the Strigoi with fear--to tell someone. He was off before I even finished what I was saying.

Turning my attention back to the fight, I saw that Christian was getting weak and bent over, clutching his knees for support. I rushed over to him to help fight off the crowd.

I grabbed for my stake, stabbing the first Strigoi I saw. He was distracted by the fire inflaming his face and that offered the perfect staking. I moved on to the next one, needing to ask a question first.

"Why the hell are you all here? The freaking wards are up, dumbass!" But I answered my own question--the massacre the other Strigoi was talking about. They were going to ambush Lissa and kill them. Too bad they didn't anticipate me.

She was instantly inflamed and I took the chance to stake her. That was the pattern for about three more Strigoi when I noticed that I was being helped.

The guardians had finally made an appearance.

There were nine or ten helping me out whilst the others stayed back to guard the buildings.

The memory of the last time there was a battle like this here flashed through my eyes.

It was a few weeks ago--feels like it's been years--and Dimitri and I were walking hand-in-hand from the cabin where we had just declared our love for each other. Then Mason appeared, whispering, "_They're coming_," and then before I had the chance to tell Dimitri, a nauseous feeling crept over me and the first Strigoi came rushing at us. But Dimitri was quick and staked him before he had the chance to do anything. Then Dimitri turned to me.

"Rose, I need you to run and tell the others. Do not stop unless you're confronted directly." I nodded, the nauseous feeling coming back. "Tell them _buria_." I nodded once more, looking deeply into his eyes. "Run!" He yelled and I listened.

I ran using all my training. Like Dimitri said, someday you won't be able to fight, so you'll have to run. Then I heard the grunting sounds of a fight and I knew more Strigoi were there. I only let myself worry about him for a second, but then I pushed it to the back of my mind. There were others in danger and I had to warn them. I couldn't let the Strigoi hurt anyone else.

I ran to the Novice's dorms and as I ran through the doors, I ran straight into Stan Alto. He seemed shocked to see me. "Rose what's going on-"

"There are Strigoi on campus!" I yelled, interrupting him. He gave me a look of disbelief and I said, "I'm not crazy! Dimitri's out there fighting them!" He still didn't believe me, what was the word that Dimitri told me? "He said to tell you, _buria_." And like that, Stan was gone.

I snapped back into the present, noticing that I had be on a sort of auto-pilot. I had killed several Strigoi already and didn't even know it. Cool!

There were still a lot left, though. About thirty--those were huge numbers. I turned back to my friends; they were fine, still inside the wards, staring with fear. Well, Christian was blowing up Strigoi, but you get the picture.

Then, Lissa took out a piece of paper and I groaned, _why would you read at a time like this?_ She looked at it intently and I turned my attention back to the Strigoi I was currently fighting.

He managed to get a good scratch on me and I could feel the blood dripping down my arm, but I didn't let it distract me. I rushed forward with my stake, but he dodged it, landing a blow on my back, causing me to stagger. I growled, lunging again and, this time, I hit my target. He fell back to the pavement and I moved on to my next target.

It went on like that for a while, until most of them were gone. As I looked around, I could see that the Strigoi had managed to kill some of the guardians. Looking away, I noticed some of the Strigoi were still trying to get through the wards. Morons.

Then one of the most unexpected things happened.

Lissa got up from her sitting position on the floor behind the wards, still holding the piece of paper. But then, she walked out the gates through the wards.

"Lissa! Get back behind the wards!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. But she paid me no attention, she just kept on walking. "Lissa! Are you suicidal or something?!" She still ignored me, reaching her hand up and throwing the paper back into the gates.

She walked towards a Strigoi whom just noticed her, raising his hands as if to snatch her.

I ran towards them, screaming for Lissa to run, but she never did. She touched him, which the Strigoi didn't expect and then a beam of blue-white light came out of her hands, smothering the Strigoi with it. He cried out in pain and through the bond, I felt a rush of darkness from Lissa, which disappeared after a few seconds.

Lissa fell to the ground and I rushed towards her. She smiled at me and blacked out. I carried her into the wards, putting her into Christian's oblivious arms.

"What happened?" he questioned full of worry.

"Well, while you were barbequing those guys, Lissa went and did some weird beam-y thing with her hands. _Please_ take her to the nurse! I need to go finish up this but I'll meet you there as soon as possible." He nodded and I gave Lissa one more worried look before running back into the battle.

The battle went on until we--the guardians and I--killed off the last one. We lost four of ours, but considering the circumstances, it was pretty good. But I couldn't help but feel responsible, as if I was the reason they died. I let Dimitri sort of die, didn't I? If I didn't launch that rescue mission, he and the other guardians would have made it. And if I didn't call for help, then these guardians wouldn't have come, and they'd still be alive.

I looked back to the Strigoi that Lissa had blasted--he was twitching so much it was almost a convulsion.

Cautiously, I walked up to him, hearing warnings from behind me. Of course, I ignored them--I was curious and they couldn't stop me because I wasn't a student anymore.

I approached him--stake in hand--crouching down next to him. He opened his eyes and I saw an unusual sight.

His eyes were orange, like a mixture of red and yellow. His voice was strained but I could tell he was trying to say something.

"What? What are you trying to say?" I questioned roughly.

"Hu-hur-" it sounded like he was trying to say 'hurts', but I couldn't be sure.

"What? Hurts?" He nodded. Well, it was more like a twitch of the head, but it was a nod none-the-less. "What hurts?"

He yelled in pain and his body was twitching uncontrollably. Finally, his form stilled and he exhaled a huge breath.

"Hello? Are you alive?" I questioned, stupidly. He was unresponsive so I slapped him. I have to admit, slapping someone is fun. "Hello?! Hello!" Looks like Lissa has a new weapon. Too bad it drains her. Sigh--that reminded me that I had to go check on her. I helped drag the lifeless bodies--the twitcher included--into the wards to burn.

As soon as I dropped the last one into the pile, I almost ran to Dr. Olendzki's clinic. I needed to make sure Lissa was fine, even though I could clearly feel that she was out cold through the bond. But that only made me run faster.

"Lissa? Lissa are you okay?" I called to her when I walked through the door.

"She's fine. Just really weak." Christian said, coming out from his nervous position against the wall, his voice shaking.

"I'm sure she'll get better." I said trying to comfort him.

He smiled his old smartass smile and I knew that I was going to get one of his sarcastic remarks once again. "Is Rosemarie Hathaway being _nice_? Oh my god, I think you're finally making a breakthrough. I'm so proud! Not." I rolled my eyes.

"Did you just say 'oh my god'? I hope Lissa knows that her boyfriend is going all frilly on her." He scowled, mock punching me.

"Shut up. I was the one setting those guys on fire out there. In what way is that frilly?" He questioned, clearly annoyed.

"Please! You got tired after setting three on fire." I retorted.

"Oh yeah, well look at how many of those Strigoi were covered in burn marks. Pretty much all of them. You couldn't have pulled that off without me."

I rolled my eyes, but otherwise agreed. "Yup, it would be hard without my flaming friend to help me out!" I said sarcastically, though I meant it.

"Did you just call me your friend?" He asked incredulously, though the sarcasm flowed thickly through both of us.

"Hello? It was an alliteration. Just because I say 'friend' in there, doesn't make it true." He snickered and I playfully punched him.

"Whatever you say, Rose. Whatever you say." Then we stood there quietly, waiting eagerly for Lissa to wake up.

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**How was that?? Good, bad, bleh? I tried to make it longer so hopefully you enjoyed it. I'll try to update soon, but spring break's almost over, so...yeah. Well, I gotta say thanks once again!! THANKS! There it was and there it goes. So remember this one word: REVIEW and then add exclamation marks after it. Bye!**

~Jess


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone!!! I am so so so so so so so SORRY that this took so long to update. But it's been so hard to find computer time and also, we have this stupid research thing that I have to do! Gr, curse school! But I promise that the next chapter will be unpdated within a week. I want to thank everyone who reviewed!! YOU GUYS ROCK BEYOND BELIEF! You are the ones who made me want to update so badly and I'm sorry that I made you wait so long! I made this chapter extra long for y'all! Oh and I tried to make it sound better and more detailed. Oh and thanks to vampfreak290 for providing me with some constructive criticism that made this chapter what it is. Better than the last one. Thanks everyone and now I'm going to let you read!! :)**

Disclaimer: I do not own blah, blah, blah...

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****Chapter Ten**

The doctors were rushing frantically, trying to help the wounded guardians whom had somewhat severe injuries. Lissa was momentarily forgotten_._

That made me kind of mad; here she was, laying on a bed, unconscious, and they're just ignoring her as if she hadn't just used all her magic on that Strigoi! I knew that there were other people in worse conditions, but that doesn't mean that they should just pretend like she was going to be fine. She most definitely was_ not_ going to be fine. She just used an unimaginable power, for god sakes! And they think she'll be fine?! She's in a freakin coma!

My heated thoughts fell as Dr. Olendzki entered the room. She had a somewhat concerned look on her face.

"Is she going to be okay?" I questioned, full of the concern that Olendzki was lacking.

"The truth? I don't know. I've never seen anyone use that much of their magic at once. The fact that she could do it…well, we'll have to wait and see. For now, she'll just have to stay here and rest, until she regains consciousness." I nodded, though the overwhelming terror that Lissa might not wake up was nearly killing me.

"Thanks, doc." I said as she walked out.

I shakily walked over to Lissa's bed, she looked so peaceful, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly and then relaxing it.

"Liss, everything'll be okay. I won't let anything hurt you again. I promise." The word promise rung in my ears.

So many promises made. So many broken. Dimitri's promise…I would keep that one.

But how would I find him now? He's probably already left wherever he was. Sigh. What was I thinking? I wouldn't be able to do it. It would be nearly impossible for me to kill him. I _loved_ him. How could I kill the one I loved?

No, I had to do this, I had to be there to keep our promise. I had to keep this _one_ promise; it was the least I could do for all he did for me. I shouldn't be so selfish.

I shook my head, wanting to make all the negativity disappear. It didn't work, but it was momentarily distracted by Christian entering the room. He was carrying a half eaten bagel and sipping out of a juice-box.

I smiled, "Wow, Christian, you look like crap. You know I'm pretty sure that they have plastic surgery to fix that thing you call a face." He threw the remnants of his bagel at me, still slurping down the juice.

He took a breath from the slurping, taking the chance to retort. "You should know. Who did yours, Michael Jackson?"

I took a bite out of his bagel, not bothering to swallow before I talked like mannered people. "Honey, a face this gorgeous is too good for anything intended to make someone less fortunate, more beautiful." He laughed and I stuck my food-filled tongue out at him.

"Is that what they're calling wearing mass amounts of makeup these days? If it is, then I don't know anything."

"You don't know anything." I retorted. "And anyway, you're just jealous."

"Yes, I am definitely jealous of the Queen. For one, she gets to tell people they're ugly without getting back-sassed. Now that would be a dream." He sighed in mock content.

"Also because you desperately want to wear a dress. I hear you, Christian. That would definitely suit you well." I smirked and he narrowed his eyes.

"Hey stupid, just because you want to see my sexy legs, does _not_ mean that I'll wear a freakin dress."

I found this whole conversation extremely hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh. "You call those legs sexy? If you wanna see sexy, just take a look at me!"

"Yeah right, you wish." He said with a chuckle.

"I wish for bigger and better things that you simple brain would _never _understand." Actually, I just wished for Dimitri…I'm pretty sure anyone could understand that. But he still didn't really know much about me and Dimitri, therefore, I couldn't bring it up. Also because I didn't _want _to bring it up.

"I can see it now." He said completely ignoring my comment. "You wishing to be as awesome as me."

"I think you got it the other way around."

"Not to be rude, Rose, but I would rather be kissing Lissa than be her guardian."

"Not to be rude, Christie, but I'd rather be guarding Lissa than kissing her." I responded.

"Are you so sure about that?" Was he _that_ stupid?

"Yes, Christie, I am positive that I do not want to kiss my best friend." It was as if I was talking to a two-year-old. Sigh.

"Well if she's your best friend why don't you let her go with you?" Why does everything have to come back to this very subject.

I looked away from him, focusing my narrowed eyes on Lissa so that I could calm down. "It's because she's my best friend that I won't let her do this. You're her boyfriend, why are _you_ letting her out into the dangerous world?"

"Because when she has something to do that's this important, I can't just stop her. And besides, me and you can protect her."

"Well what if we can't? What if there were to many Strigoi and we couldn't fend all of them off. What would you do then?" I closed my eyes, just thinking of the possibility…

"That wouldn't happen." He stated, clearly showing his hostility at the fact that I was right.

"You'd be surprised, Chris. Unexpected things'll happen." My voice decreased in volume, "I never expected Dimitri to…" My voice faded off with the painful thought. "The point is, you shouldn't take chances with her. Because you never know when you're going to lose her." Christian looked at me and put up his middle finger and I sighed. "I'm trying to talk some sense into you, boy. Just, just take care of her." I said, trying to stand up. "I have to get somewhere. Tell me when she wakes up, if…" I was about to tell him, 'if I was still here', but then he'd be trying to tell me to stay.

"'k. Whatever." He said, moving towards where I was sitting, taking hold of Lissa's hand.

"Bye." I gave a quick wave, without a response from Christian, and left out the door.

Geez! Why does Christian always have to ruin all of our hilarious sarcasm-filled fun?!

As I stormed out the door and into the halls of the medical center of the school, I decided that I would go outside and make sure there weren't any more Strigoi. Maybe I'd talk to Yuri.

The walk took what felt like an eternity, but finally, I got there. The guards warily let me out of the gates once more and I walked out of the wards into the slightly lit streets.

I got the unimaginable headache that I always got whenever I was outside of a ward. I focused my attention on where I was and managed to clear it up until it was just a distant hum in the back of my head.

I could now see clearly that the sun was slowly rising, just barely. Desperately, I looked around for any sign of Strigoi or where they came from. Nope, nothing. There was no doubt that Dimitri had left. I let out an exasperated sigh, frustrated to the nth degree.

I crawled back to the point right in front of the wards, but not close enough to be on or in them.

Bringing my legs to my chest as I sat down, I wrapped my arms around them and laid my chin on the tops of my knees. I closed my eyes as silent tears poured down my cheeks.

Dimitri…

They came down more heavily now, followed by quiet sobs and flashbacks of Dimitri's smile. The smile that I lived for. The smile that was gone forever.

"Dimitri!" I cried quietly, not wanting to attract attention, but needing to say his name out loud. "I love you." I whispered so quietly that it was almost inaudible.

I leaned my head onto my knees and my quiet sobs were muffled as they grew in volume and ferocity. I was shaking and I could feel the wetness of my tears sinking through my jeans.

How many times had I cried about Dimitri? Too many to count. Why couldn't I just get over everything already? Why was everything so difficult? Why couldn't I have my happily ever after? Why? Why me!? Why did I have to go through all this? And…why did it have to be Dimitri?

I could feel myself sinking into a further depression. That always happened when I thought about Dimitri. Was it always going to be like this? Or will I eventually harden into an unemotional rock, the only time that I moved being when I fought Strigoi?

The future would bring me surprises, I decided. I just wish Dimitri could be there to live it with me.

"He can't!" I yelled at myself, trying to get myself to quit wishing for the impossible. "He never will, and I have to live with that." I whispered to myself.

I jumped, startled, as a hand touched my shoulder. I looked up and gasped as Adrian sat down beside me.

"Adrian, what-" I said, scooting away, readying myself to stand up and get the hell out of there. I couldn't let anyone see me cry.

"Sh, little Dhampir. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm…fine." he looked at me clearly.

"You don't look fine. Not in the emotional sense, I mean. In the physical sense-"

"Then why'd you ask. Look, Adrian, I have to go. I need to get something." I lied, trying to get away from him. I stood up, wiping the dirt off my jeans.

He stood up too, unfortunately, and grabbed me by the arms, trying to keep me in one place. I laughed darkly, "You think you can keep me here?" I proved my point by easily breaking away from his grasp, walking towards the entrance gates.

"The Strigoi's alive." I shook my head at his confusing nonsense.

"Strigoi are all dead, Adrian. Did you forget that? And what are you even talking about?" I said, turning towards him again. He was still standing in the same position as when I started walking away.

"The one Lissa used her powers on. He's alive." That stopped me dead in my tracks.

"What? No way, I saw him die. He started twitching and then just…died. There's no way he's alive, he's a Strigoi." I was rambling on without even knowing it. I couldn't grasp what he was saying. Not right now.

"No, he's alive. Or, he will be. Just stay long enough to find out. I promise you-" I rolled my eyes, turning away from him.

"Adrian, I'm not going to listen to some ridiculous lie just so you can keep me here a couple of days. I have to go and-" I forgot he didn't know what I was doing while off on my little trip. "I have to go. Soon." I put my hand around one of the bars of the gates, leaning my head on it for a second before I told the guards to let me in. Adrian followed closely behind me.

"Then just wait until Lissa gets better and let us come with you." Why does everyone keep telling me this?!

"No!" I yelled, skidding to a halt. "_No one_ is coming with me! I've told you many times before, and none of that has changed. _Now leave me alone._" I growled, walking faster than he could go without running.

I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't care. I just needed to get away from it all. Away from everyone.

I stormed throughout the building, all around the school grounds. Everyone that saw me, gasped and got out of my way. Gasping, because they couldn't believe I was here. Getting out of my way because I probably looked scary.

I felt the need to hit someone, suddenly. It was like the ferocity just came from no where, caused by such a small thing like Adrian trying to get me to let them come with me.

I gritted my teeth against this anger, trying to turn it down.

"Hey, Rose! Decided to come back from the commune?" Called a voice from behind me. I had an idea of who it was, and when I turned around, my prediction was confirmed.

Jesse Zecklos.

My vision went red and I stormed towards him. He had a moment of fear shining in his eyes, but it instantly left as my fist connected with his cheek, knocking him out cold. I left him there, continuing on my angry raid.

I couldn't understand where all this rage came from, but through the bond, I could feel that Lissa had finally woken up.

All previous emotions forgotten, I raced back to the nurses station where Lissa was currently staying.

I shoved open the door standing in the doorway, staring at Lissa whom was in a sitting position.

"Liss!" I said, running towards her and embracing her in a vice-tight hug. She stood absolutely still and I pulled back to see what was wrong. "What's going on?" I said, looking around, finally noticing that everyone in our little group thing was here.

"Nothing, Rose. Just…" Eddie spoke out.

"What!?" I urged angrily.

"I'm coming with you, Rose." Lissa said in a quiet voice.

"What? This again!? Come on you guys, how many times are we going to have to go through this before you get it through your heads that I said no!? I'll say it again. No!" I growled, annoyed almost to the boiling point with this 'we're going with you' crap.

"I'm going to save him, Rose. Just let me come with you."

"You're lying! Just leave me alone already!" I yelled at them, putting my hands on my head as if the pressure could take all this away.

"No, I'm not! Just go and see. You'll see it. You'll see that I'm not lying." Lissa continued.

"Stop it already! I'm not going to listen to all of this!" I yelled, turning away and walking towards the door. Eddie stepped in front of it and I was thinking of breaking his arm, but decided to avoid any major violence with my supposed friends. "Get out of my fucking way, Eddie, or I'll break your arm." He looked at me and then warily got out of my way.

"Rose! Please!" Lissa called from the bed, but I swung open the door, needing to get out of here. Before any of them could catch up to me.

I heard someone pursuing me from behind and then sped up to a sprint, knowing there was no way they could catch me.

I left the gates and the wards, stopping in the middle of the street and turning around to face my pursuer. It was Christian, of course. The only one who's not afraid to tell me crap.

"So what? You're just going to leave and keep running away from all your problems? Then just go! Just keep running, see where that gets you." He growled from behind the wards.

"_I am not running _away!" I yelled the last word loud enough for basically the whole school to hear. "I'm trying to keep a promise. And I'll do that with or without your blessing! I have something I have to do, why can't you understand that?! I'm not running, I'm leaving. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it." I said, turning away from him and everyone I ever cared about. It was most likely the last time I was going to see them, and it ended in anger and rage.

Some good bye.

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**So was this better than the last chapter? Please say yes, or no, I guess. Just tell me what you thought about it and I hope that it was good. I actually took my time with this one so hopefully it's as good as I hope it is. Well, anyway, REVIEW please. Without reviews, there would be no story.**

**Thanks, everyone, for reading!!!!!!!! :D**

**~Jess**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone!! Sorry this is kinda late but I got this nasty allergy and let's just say, I was in a lot of pain. Anyway, I want to thank all my reviewers because they are what make this story the way it is which is why I encourage all my readers to REVIEW! Oh and this chapter is short because originally, when I typed the full thing out, it was thirteen pages on word processor and that was too long so I cut it in half. The next chapter is a lot longer because I had to cut it in certain spots. Well, you don't care but just so you know, yeah, the next one is longer. I really hope that you like it because it took a lot of writing and editing to get it to where I thought would be good. Anyway, I'm going to let you read now. Good day! :)**

**The usual disclaimer applies yeah yeah whatever. Onward forth!! :))**

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**Chapter Eleven**

I didn't realize I was crying until one of the tears slid off my face and fell to the pavement. I stopped and wiped my eye, examining the wetness.

_Why am I crying?_ I asked myself, filled with what felt like a chain of never ending confusion.

And just like that, I collapsed to the ground, my knees folding under me. Sobs felt natural now--now that I've been doing it so much--and the tears were rolling down my cheeks like a stream of salt and water.

_Why do I hurt everyone I come in contact with?_ Why do I do this to people!? Can I be so heartless as to hurt everyone that I ever cared about?

"What's wrong with me?!" I called out loud.

_I need to stop crying already! Crying doesn't help anything, it just makes me weaker._

It took all of my willpower to stand up and give up the tears--all I wanted to do was crumble to the ground and stay there until my time was up--but finally, I managed a wobbly stance and took one step at a time until I was able to run.

I smiled victoriously as the wind whistled through my hair and I felt free, for once, of all my problems. It was as if I was letting go of all my troubles and just running wherever my legs took me.

Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived as a ball of fire hit my back and I fell to the ground. I growled, looking behind me as I crouched, readying myself to launch into a sprint if I had to, and also putting a hand on my stake just in case.

Of course, it was Christian and my gang of 'friends'. Some friends, throwing fire balls at me.

Eddie was in front, running the fastest to catch up to me. I growled and pushed my foot forward, setting into a sprint that only Dimitri could match. Well, when Dimitri was a Dhampir…

They were too far behind to catch up with me and Christian kept sending fireballs my way. I kept a serpentine route and dodged most of his hits. The only times he hit me was on my leg.

It was so painful and I was wondering why Lissa was allowing him to burn me. Was she _that_ mad at me? And how did Lissa have the energy to come anyway? Feeders? Maybe.

"Why don't you just give it up?" I yelled back at them. "Why can't you just let me do this?! Why won't you leave me alone already!?"

"Because I can't let you kill him, Rose!" Lissa yelled from _way_ back there. It was surprising how I could actually hear them.

I looked behind me quickly to see Christian, Lissa, and Adrian running far behind me with black umbrellas over their heads--to take cover from the sun.

Eddie however, had a determined look in his eye and was pretty damn close to me. I kicked it up a notch and watched as they fell hopelessly behind.

"Why?! Why can't you just let me do what I have to do. You know that I'll come back even if I do!" I yelled back at Lissa.

"Because, I told you, I can save him!" She yelled back.

"Enough of the lies!" I hissed running away from the scene, just running to wherever the roads led me.

I stopped when I hit a city, late at night. I didn't know where I was, but I knew that I was tired and I wanted to sleep. I looked around desperately for a hotel and, at last, I found one. It was a cheap looking hotel, but it would have to do.

I checked in shakily, still tired from the run. I used a lot of energy and just moving my hand was immensely tiring.

I thanked her breathlessly as I walked limply to the elevator. Thankfully it was empty and I collapsed to the ground as I waited for the elevator to arrive at my floor.

When the elevator 'dinged', I crawled out of the elevator, using the door to help pull myself up.

"Hey," A man's voice came from the right side of me and I warily pulled at my stake just in case. "are you okay?" He said as he approached. I couldn't clearly see him because my vision was blurring from the exhaustion.

"Yeah," I waved off his concern. "just need sleep, is all. I walked forward shakily and then I stumbled forward.

A set of strong arms caught hold of me as a moved. I struggled out of his grasp, but I was too weak to do anything so I gave up.

"Where's your room?" He asked and I handed him the card key--I couldn't read the number. "Two-o-eight." He read, leading me down a hall.

He stopped at the door, opening it and helping me in and setting me down on the bed. I saw him put the key card on top of the vanity and then he waved, closing the door behind him.

I watched after his receding form, and then fell back, too tired to move any more. I fell into a deep sleep and for the first time, it was uninterrupted by Adrian or any of the nightmares. It was, unfortunately, Lissa's head that I drifted into.

She was hanging out with the group and Adrian was currently speaking. "When I saw Rose before, she was sitting outside the wards crying. It was so weird because I always thought she was so strong. I never thought she'd cry about anything…" he whispered.

"Just because she comes off strong at first, doesn't necessarily mean that she doesn't cry whenever she's alone. I'm guessing she does that a lot. And even when she acts like everything's alright, maybe, just maybe she's really good at lying. Ever think of that?" Wow, Lissa actually sounded wise…

"Yeah…I guess not. So she really loves him that much, that she's willing to risk her life to help him?" I gasped internally, Lissa told them. How could she do that? Don't secrets mean anything to her at all?

"Well, you know her. She's always cared more about other's than she cared about herself. That's why she won't let us come with her. She doesn't want to risk our lives on something she feels is her fault--even if it's not. And if something did happen to us, she'd feel like she's the one to blame and wouldn't be able to let it go. But I'm willing to take that risk, guys, we have to help her and Dimitri."

"The billing company said that she just checked into a hotel in Hamilton." Adrian said. _Hamilton?_ _How'd I get that far?!_

Lissa nodded, "Let's go." Oh crap.

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I woke up sore, but awake nonetheless. Quickly, I grabbed my jeans from my duffel bag and a black tank top.

I packed all my things--my duffel bag, old dirty clothes, and my stake--and sped out the door. I went to the cafeteria to get a small breakfast before I left. As I waited in line, I peered at the clock behind the employees--eight thirty a.m.

Perfect, I had all day to get away from anywhere that they could find me.

When it was my turn to order, I asked simply for an egg and bacon sandwich and a water. They gave me my order a minute later and I said thank you, looking around the room for a table to sit at.

Then a sort of hot guy started waving at me and pointed to the chair in front of him. _Okay…_ I walked towards the table, confused, and set my food down as I pulled out the chair.

"Um, do I know you?" I asked outright.

"Well, not personally. But I remember you. You were the one who I helped to your room last night." He said.

"Oh! Sorry, I guess I didn't recognize you. I didn't get a chance to thank you. I was just so tired last night that nothing really registered, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Why were you so tired anyway?" He asked and I quickly considered ditching him, but decided against it--he seemed okay.

"I was running a long way. Exercise. But I guess it was just too much running."

He nodded and I hoped he believed my humungo lie. I knew Dimitri wouldn't. No, don't think of him.

"How far did you run?" He asked, oblivious to my internal pain.

"I don't know; several miles. I wasn't really keeping track."

"Must've been a lot." He said, his voice offhand.

"Yup." I nodded, an awkward silence following the action.

Several minutes passed as he stared into space, clearly lost in his own mind. I checked the time. Crap! They'd be halfway here by now. I had to get away before they could get anywhere near me.

"Hey, I just realized that I have to go…it was nice meeting you, though." I smiled at him, getting up from my chair noisily.

"Oh, it's cool. I gotta go, too. Can I walk you to your car?" He requested, standing as well.

"Sure." I replied. It couldn't hurt, could it?

We walked in silence until we reached the center of the parking lot when he asked, "So where are you parked?"

I looked around in confusion, and then realization hit me as I smacked my hand to my forehead.

"Crap!" I yelled. "The accident!"

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**so how was that?? Good, crappy, okay? Come on, I need feedback so please please PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! More reviews means better/longer chapters. I definitely need constructive criticism. And as for the story line and my plot for it...there isn't one. I usually have an idea of what I'm going to do, but everything else just comes off the top of my head and adds up to what I think is a better story. For example, I was definitely not anticipating this 'Max' dude, but he just became part of the story and now I have a pretty good idea as to what he's going to be doing in the future. Anyway, I'll stop talking now so you can go on with your life. Happy whatever it is today!! :))**

~Jess


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone. I'm sooo sorry that this is so late!! I didn't get very many reviews so it didn't feel like top priority!! I apologize from the bottom of my heart!!!! It's late because I'm going to start writing my own book and I have to get all of my research done, not to mention my research paper on writing...sigh. Well, I'm going to stop complaining now so you can read. Oh and p.s. check out my awesome avie!! My sister, an awesome photoshopper, made it for me in like five minutes. Okay, NOW I'll shut up. :P**

**Usual disclaimers apply.**

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**Chapter Twelve**

"The accident!" I cried, remembering about my car hitting the water, the feeling of distress as I tried to get out.

I couldn't believe that I had completely forgotten about the death-defying accident I had gotten into previous to my little situation with Lissa and the others. I put my hand to my forehead and combed through my hair, distressed.

"What happened?" He asked, the accident caused by my bond to Lissa unknown to him. He stood there casually with a hands in his jeans, not really showing much emotion towards my accident.

"It doesn't matter, I-I'll get it later. Maybe I can get a rental or something." I replied, giving an exasperated sigh.

"Where're you going? Maybe I could take you."

"No, it's fine." _I _didn't even know where I was going.

He pursed his lips for a second, clearly contemplating something. After what seemed like forever, he finally said "At least let me take you to get a rental."

I sighed, "Fine." As long as he'd shut up, I'd take the deal.

He grinned victoriously as he led me to his car.

It was a pretty nice car--a car any middle-class person could afford. It was black and shiny, as if it had just been washed.

He pulled out one of those automatic door-unlockers and the cars' headlights blinked a few times, indicating that it was unlocked. Well duh it was unlocked, but, whatever.

He walked over to the passenger door, pulling it open and gesturing for me to get in. I smiled and rolled my eyes as I climbed into the seat.

He slammed the door after me and then walked around the front of the car to the driver's seat.

He grinned at me, pulling out of the parking spot and driving out of the lot. I watched him in silence, really noticing how he looked--nice muscles, black t-shirt with worn jeans, his almost-black hair cascading in lengths of hair that were mid-eye. It looked great and I felt the urge to touch the undoubtedly smooth surface of it--which is why I decided to start a conversation rather than taking the chance of reaching over and feeling that silky darkness...

"So where's the closest rental place?" I asked, breaking the silence that we'd held.

"You tell me." He said, a smile in his voice as he concentrated on the road.

"Are you telling me that you don't know where you're going?" I questioned incredulously.

"Yup."

"Yes you know?"

"No."

"You don't know?"

"Yes." He answered casually.

"Yes you do know?"

"No."

"No you don't know?"

"Yes."

"How the hell do you not know where you're going?" I asked angrily, my temper flaring up.

"Hey, I don't live here. I'm staying in a freaking hotel for god sakes! I know about as much about this place as you." He retorted.

I gave an exasperated sigh, attempting to calm myself down.

"Look," I called roughly, "just drop me off at the next gas station."

"Okay." His anger was replaced by uncertainty.

"I'll just hitch a ride from there and you can go wherever it is you go." I growled, crossing my arms across my chest and looking out the window at the quickly passing landscapes. I chewed the inside of my cheek, anger and frustration nearly overpowering me. And for what? That he didn't know the area well? What was wrong with me? I shouldn't be so mad; I needed therapy.

"I don't know if you know this, but hitching a ride is kind of dangerous." He said as he turned into the gas station.

"I think I'll manage. And besides, why do you care? For all you know, I could be a hooker." He laughed and it sounded like chimes in the wind. Enchanting.

"I highly doubt that."

"Why?" I asked, recovering from the laugh.

"You just don't look like the type."

"I don't look like a lot of things, but you'd be surprised." I said jokingly.

He parked the car and I opened the door, getting out.

What surprised me was that he followed the action and joined me as I walked into the convenient store.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"I'm not about to let you hitch a ride and then mysteriously disappear, showing up as a missing person on 9news, announcing that they found your dead and decaying body three days later."

I sighed again, going straight to the map rack so I could find a map of Hamilton, allowing me to get the heck out of here.

Something occurred to me, "Hey, you never did tell me your name."

He looked up at me, the intensity and the compassion of his eyes nearly knocking the breath out of me. "Max. What about yours?"

"Rose." I said breathlessly. His blue eyes were nothing like Dimitri's brown ones. There was nothing better than Dimitri, but Max was hot nonetheless.

Oh, what was I _saying_? He was _human_! And besides, I'm not exactly ever going to be ready for a relationship with anyone aside from Dimitri, and even _that_ relationship was kind of impossible at the moment.

I could see Max mouthing my name repeatedly with a smile.

"What?" I said after a while, grinning reflexively.

"You seem familiar, like I know you from somewhere." He shook his head, "probably someone else."

"I'm pretty sure we haven't met." The last time I really came in contact with humans was back when I was hiding away with Lissa. Back before Dimitri came to take me and Lissa back to the academy. Back before we fell in love…

_No!_ I will _not_ get caught up in memories! They are gone and I'll never get to go back to those happy times again.

"Rose?" Max broke my reverie, waving his hand in front of my eyes.

"Huh? What?" I mumbled, returning to the present, though I'd rather be alone in my head…

"I said that I found one." He said, confusion plain in his tone.

"Oh, good." That was my genius response. Perfect. Now he'll be asking me questions, and I'll be avoiding them, and he'll get and, then I'll be mad, etcetera, etcetera; it goes on and on.

I strode steadily to the check-out line where two other people waited in front of me.

Max joined me a minute later, slurping down a blue-colored slushie and holding a chocolate bar. He was such a dork.

"I hope you have the money to pay for that crap." I told the darkling.

"Oh no, you can pay for it; I don't mind." He grinned and I rolled my eyes, taking his food items from him. "Hey!" He cried.

"What? I pay for it, I hold it." I laughed slightly at the expression on his face. He pouted quietly as the line moved forward slowly.

Finally, my turn came and I put the items on the counter, giving them a ten and telling them to keep the change.

I gave Max back his items and he grinned, slurping down his slushie again.

I rolled my eyes as we stepped outside, the night sky surprising me. How had it gotten dark so fast? That didn't make any sense!

_Maybe buying a map was a bad idea, _I thought, feeling a nauseous movement in the pit of my stomach.

"Max, get in the car, I'll meet you there." I said, panic-stricken

"Why?"

"Just go!" I yelled but he just went rigid and towed me around the corner of the store, the nausea kept growing, indicating more Strigoi.

"What the hell are you doing?! I told you to go to the car!" He took my face in his hands, completely ignoring my exclamations.

"I have to go do something. Stay here where you can be safe." I pulled his hands away, annoyed that he wouldn't leave.

"No, _you_ stay here. _I_ have to go do something!" I yelled back.

And then the nausea spiked.

"Get down!" I yelled as I pulled out my stake. He followed orders, crouching down to the ground.

The Strigoi lunged at me and I stuck my foot out, causing the Strigoi to stumble back when I made contact with her face.

I looked down at Max, waiting for the next Strigoi to make an appearance, the nauseous feeling still standing strong.

Max ha d a bewildered expression covering his face, but the second our eyes locked, he turned around in a quick spin.

He stabbed the Strigoi whom had just come behind him and I stared at him, awe-struck.

He pulled out a stake and slowly turned to look at me in wonder.

"You're a…" I murmured.

"Dhampir? Yes."

"What are you doing here? Where's your charge?" I asked, not yet past confusion.

"Don't have one; dropped out. What about you? Where's your charge?" _Wait, he dropped out? How'd he get the stake, then? And why would he drop out in the first place? _I shook my head, this wasn't important right now, getting away was.

"Back at the academy. I left because there's something I had to do. And speaking of my self-assigned mission, can you just take me to the rental place so that I can go on my way?" I requested roughly.

"Who's your charge?" He asked curiously, ignoring my request.

I eyed him warily before answering his question. "Lissa Dragomir." I said and walked back to the car before I could see his reaction.

All the while, Max called out, "Wait!" as he struggled to catch up with my receding form.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched the open window.

He yanked open his door excitedly and climbed in with haste.

"Then you're Rose _Hathaway_?" He questioned incredulously. He just went from hot to annoying.

I growled, "How is it even possible that _everyone_ knows me? Honestly! Can't I be unknown, like, once?!"

"No." he answered and I rolled my eyes. "What's your self-assigned mission?" He questioned as if I was some interesting science project. I thought he would take out a notepad and grow glasses out of his face and turn into a reporter any second with his intrigued expression.

"That's private so can you please just drive?" I asked, my temper rising.

When he didn't show any indication of movement, I started for the door. "Okay, then I guess I'll just hitch a ride." He grabbed me by the arm, restraining me from exiting the vehicle.

I glared at him, looking him straight in the eye, "I will rip your arm off if you don't let me go." I growled, gripping his wrist in a tight lock to show him I wasn't joking.

Reluctantly, he pulled back his arm and I let go. I grabbed for the door handle but he denied me passage by locking the car door.

"Don't go. I won't ask you anymore, I swear." He held up his hands in surrender.

I rolled my eyes and laid back against the seat, crossing my arms across my chest and huffing a breath of rage.

He put the keys into the ignition after a second of hesitation and the car roared to life.

We rode in silence for a while before he decided to strike up a conversation.

"So how's it been, you know, traveling on your own for a while?" I sighed, he was doing so well. And how did he know it was traveling for a while?…Oh well, it doesn't matter.

"Well, let's see, I keep attracting the attention of Strigoi. My friends keep chasing after me. Oh, and I'm off on some impossible mission. It's been just peachy!" I replied, letting the sarcasm flow thick in my words.

"Woah. Why are you doing all of it?"

I eyed him again, figuring out his plan. "I know what you're trying to do, it's not going to work. I'm not telling you where I'm going. But, let's just say, I've got a promise to keep."

"To who?"

I hesitated, not knowing whether or not to tell Max the truth. I decided that semi-truth/semi-lie would work. "Someone I owe my life to."

He bit his lip as if he wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut the rest of the ride.

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Max parked in a spot closest to the entrance, pulling out his keys and getting out of the car.

I opened my door before he could do it for me, giving him a questioning glance.

"I'm just going to make sure you get your car safely and without any of those spontaneous Strigoi attacks." He answered my un-voiced.

"Sigh."

"Did you just say '_sigh_'?" He asked me with a smile.

"Yes, I just said sigh, got a problem with it?" I asked him, grinning as well.

"Yes, actually I do."

"Well, too bad! Deal with it." We both laughed and I began to notice how nice his short dark brown hair look in it's spiked fashion. And the perfectly squared angle of his jaw. His skin, tanned just like Dim-_No!_ _You Don't like Max, you're just comparing him to Dimitri! Don't put either of you through that. Dimitri will _never_ come back to you, so don't try to replace him with Max, it's not fair to anyone!_

"Rose? Hey, Rose?" Max asked, waving a hand in front of my eyes, interrupting my internal debate as we entered the building.

"Oh, sorry." I said, a touch of sadness tainting my voice.

"You okay?" He questioned sincerely.

"I'm fine." I replied roughly. "Let's go."

He looked at me, concerned for a second, but otherwise followed my order.

I waited as he chatted with the clerk, thinking about Dimitri all the while.

_How do I find him?_ I though worriedly. _What if Yuri passes over or something and I can't ask him? Or what if he doesn't know? What am I going to do!?…_

"Rose," Max waved me over to the counter and I gave the clerk enough money to go a couple of days. By then I'd probably buy a new car since I obviously can't go back to get my old one…

The woman at the desk handed me a key and pointed to a silver Audi A5 Sport back Larson. "Ooh. I like that car." I said happily.

We walked out of the front doors and Max hurried ahead of me to, of course, open my door for me. It's so cute how he _tries_ to be a gentleman. Too bad I only have interest in one gentleman.

He slammed the door behind me and I rolled down the automatic window. "Hey, thanks again for the ride. I don't know where I'd be without the help. It was nice meeting you, Max." It really wasn't, the boy was irritating. But might as well leave him with some happy memories, even if they were anything but for me.

"Anytime. And I mean it, if you ever need any help just give me a call, and I'll be there." His eyes looked deeply into mine and it felt as if he was pouring his entire soul into me.

He gradually leaned in closer and closer to me. I stared at his lips as they approached mine, frozen and confused as to whether I wanted him to do it or not. _Too late to decide now_, I thought as his lips pressed softly against mine.

It felt like I was hungry for something like this to happen, but I couldn't help but imagine myself kissing someone else. I could feel myself getting more and more intense with the thought of my last kiss with Dimitri as we walked hand-in-hand through the wooded area on the campus.

_No! This isn't fair to Max! You're just using him!_ I screamed at myself, but it seemed almost impossible to stop. I couldn't keep the images of Dimitri out of my head and I didn't want to let it go.

Soon, I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I pulled away from Max's anxious mouth. I bit my lip, turning away from Max in an attempt to hide the tears.

"What's wrong? Are you _crying_?" He questioned and I shook my head.

"Nothing. Just, just go, please."

"Look, Rose, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted me to."

"It's, it's not you, okay. I just…I don't know. It's not your fault, I just can't do this right now. I have to go, sorry." I said, never looking him in the eye.

He stood there in the window for a few more seconds before he got up and muttered a good bye.

"Great job, Rose. Yet another person you've hurt." I said to myself as I pulled out of the parking spot and sped off to who knows where to search for Dimitri.

Tears came harsher as I thought of what I just did. I just wanted Dimitri to hold me, just one more time.

Sadly, that would probably never happen again.

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**So did you like it/hate it? Tell me cuz I NEED to know! Please review and make me happy. Last time I didn't get very many reviews, therefore, it got updated so very late. So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!! Thanks!! :PPPP**

**~Jess**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone!! I'm Ssososososososoososososo sorry that I took so long to update, I just don't have the time, seeing as school's coming to an end and they're swamping us with homework to help people catch up on their grades, (believe me, those people still won't want to do their homework, so I don't see why they do it). And I'm sorry this is so short, I just wanted to get something out there for now. Oh and btw, you're going to hate me in the next chapter, but do not fear, it's not the end of DimitrixRose. There are many more chapters after this one. Oh and I want to send a shout out to Danielle and Andrew or as I like to call him Arizona. Thanks you guys, you're awesome. Also, thanks all my reviewers! You are the ones who keep me going! Well, I'll shut up now so you can read! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wal-Mart or VA or anything else I could possibly mention in this chapter. Thankies!! :)**

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**Chapter Thirteen**

After I drove for hours on end, I decided that I'd better prepare for when I found Dimitri. If he was in a building of some sort with other Strigoi, it was probably best that I find some way that I could get rid of them all…

Dynamite came to my mind in an instant.

_But where can I get it?_ I doubted that they sold dynamite at Wal-Mart. _Maybe at the guns and ammunition stores?_ Yeah, that sounds like a possibility.

I drove through town, searching for a store that might have dynamite in stock. Finally, after two hours, I found a store with exactly what I was looking for. I walked in, looking around for an automatic switch that could set off the dynamite with the push of a button.

Walking up to the counter, the bald clerk glared at me with immediate dislike, which I didn't understand one bit. "I need dynamite, and one of those switches that sets them off." I said in a powerful voice, not intimidated by this guy, seeing as how I could probably pin him down in a matter of seconds.

He gestured to the left of him, a wall of explosives hanging dangerously on the wall. I took inventory of them and decided on simply buying three two packs of dynamite, and a small switch that would fit in my pocket, a plastic protective box covering the button so I wouldn't accidentally set it off unintentionally.

I paid for it, not really hearing much of the price, just worrying about getting to Dimitri fast enough.

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"Yuri, I need you again!" I called out, driving along the highway at ninety miles an hour. I wasn't worried about getting a ticket and whatnot, I could just knock the cop out and keep going on with my pursuit of Dimitri.

I knew that Yuri usually came after I called twice, so that's exactly what I did. "Yuri, please hurry before it's too late to find him." The sun was close to setting, about an hour left before it all went dark.

His mysterious figure made its' appearance a few seconds later as I shook nervously, wanting to find Dimitri now. Yuri's ghostly shadow flickered just as Mason's did before he moved on and I could tell that Yuri's help was limited.

"Yuri, I know I ask you this every time, but can you tell me where Dimitri is?" I asked shakily.

"Factory." He said in his hair-raising whisper. If not for me knowing that it was _Yuri_, I might have screamed at the sound of his voice.

His misty hand pointed to the west, and I quickly switched lanes. I never felt doubt in Yuri, I knew he would never mislead me with something he knew was this important to me.

I increased my speed as the sun began to set, eyeing the glove box where the dynamite lay hidden.

I began to worry about the sunset as Yuri pointed to an upcoming factory that looked like it had been there for around a century. There weren't any houses or buildings of the sort surrounding it, leaving it the perfect place for Strigoi.

I thanked Yuri briefly as I got out of my car and walking around the building. I put one pack of dynamite on each side of the building and one in the back. As I walked toward the doors to the cellar, I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself enough to focus on my main goal here: Find Dimitri, kill him, then blow up the rest.

My breath came roughly as I pulled at the string which would open the cellar doors. Why was I so nervous this time? I wasn't ever this nervous the last few times I found Dimitri….Maybe it was because I knew that I could die this time, that I wouldn't have much of a will to live after it was done. But I'd known all that throughout my searches, so why is the feeling of emptiness so powerful _this_ time?

Was it like some sort of warning? Was it warning me that I'll either die…or succeed in killing Dimitri?

_Focus_. I told myself, needing to quit thinking and act already. I had been standing there for at least a minute, thinking, as the sun sunk lower below the horizon.

I pulled at the string once more, this time with no thoughts to stop me. _No going back. No second chances. You need to do this, even if it means you won't live to see tomorrow._

I held my breath as I walked down the cellar stairs, so silent you could hear a pin drop, possibly leaving the last light of day that I'll ever see again behind me.

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**Yes I know it's short, please do not send complaints because I already know (and feel bad) about it being short. And there will be more Max in the future chapters just so you know. Did you like it/hate it/didn't care about it??? Come on people, I need feedback!! So please review and I shall be forever grateful!!!!!!! Oh and remember, when those dragons start chasing you, pull out a butter knife and they'll leave you alone. Sorry for that act of randomness, it just needed to be said. Thanks everyone for reading!! :))**

~Jess ;D


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! I AM SO IMMENSELY SORRY THAT IT HAS BEEN FOREVER SINCE I UPDATED!!! I wrote this as fast as I could because I knew you were beginning to hate me and were about to break out the pitch forks and torches. But I updated now so there's no need for that. AND NO THIS IS NOT THE END! Please remember to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ! I definitely want to thank all my reviewers! YOU GUYS ROCK! And thanks to Arizona for being awesome! Now I'll shut up and let you read. Good day and onward forth!**

**Disclaimer: ummmm....I don't feel like writing it so just go on and read. :P**

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**Chapter Fourteen**

Sweat trickled down my spine as I tip-toed the short distance to the door. There was an immediate turn that I could've took, but…something in my gut told me that it was this door that I needed to search for Dimitri. I didn't know how, didn't know why, but at this point, none of it mattered.

As I drew closer to the old, wooden door that seemed as if it could be broken down easily, I heard hisses of whispers as they conversed quietly. I couldn't hear what they were saying but decided it wouldn't be important after I blew their asses up.

Then the voices ended abruptly.

I staggered back as a Strigoi pulled open the door with a rushing sound. Crap. I knew running was out of the question--they were too fast--and, anyway, I didn't come here to run away.

I gained composure and pulled out my silver stake, if I lost then I could always press the blow-up button.

The Strigoi smiled evilly and took a step forward as I crouched into my defensive stance.

"Mm, you smell good." The disgusting creature hissed. I narrowed my eyes and then he lunged for my throat. I growled and leaped forward, though I knew that I would be the one who would be hurtled backwards.

Just as I'd suspected would happen, he crashed into me with the force that felt as if I had been hit by a semi, straight into the wall. He held my shoulders roughly against the wall and I struggled for freedom.

How could I have been so stupid?! I knew that I couldn't beat him by simply ramming into him? What the hell was I thinking?! I lectured myself.

The Strigoi leaned forward slowly and opened his mouth to show a pair of fangs nearing my neck hungrily. My right hand felt around the edge of the blow-up button that remained in my pocket.

Why can't I blow them up? It was like something what holding me back from blowing them up, like I knew it would be a mistake.

A second later the Strigoi was thrown off me and another one took his place. He smiled a teeth-gleaming smile, though it was a smile filled with darkness and hatred and…hunger.

My eyes tightened reflexively and I stood completely still, readying myself to dodge a move he might make.

But instead of making any moves, he just laughed a hair-raising chuckle and said, "Ah, if it isn't the ever-so infamous Rosemarie Hathaway. Nice of you to join us. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of an important meeting, so we do not have time for any of your shenanigans." Then the smile disappeared, "Belikov, take this one. We cannot afford to waste any more time." Belikov? Dimitri. He's here!

But the man whom stepped out from the crowd of Strigoi did not look like my Dimitri. He looked like a cold, heartless Strigoi, not one ounce of humanity left in his entire body.

He snarled and crouched down as the others filed back into the room they had come out of. I was too shocked to do anything for a few seconds, but when he lurched forward, I snapped out of it.

I dodged his first attack but he turned around in one fluid movement and sent a kick that I had no chance of dodging.

His foot connected with my stomach and all the oxygen rushed out of my lungs and I keeled over, the pain almost unbearable. But I quickly regained most of my strength and kept fighting even though the pain kept throbbing evenly throughout my body.

The kick slowed down my moves but I still managed to dodge some of his super-strong punches.

And without any warning at all, he picked me up and we rushed forward and then I heard a door shut. I hadn't even knew what was happening until he threw me to the ground. My head hit the concrete floor. Hard.

My hand went to the back of my head automatically as I let out a wail of pain. My vision blurred and I could barely see the blood that dripped from my hand. I got up from the laying position and stood weakly as Dimitri's figure blurred in and out of my vision. He stood there, grinning darkly.

This wasn't my Dimitri. The one I loved, still love. He hurt me! He made me bleed! He doesn't care about me anymore! He doesn't love me. And that last statement did it. Darkness welled up inside me until everything took on a dark tinge in the room.

Dimitri leaped forward and, defensively, I held up my hands even though I knew it wouldn't do any good.

Except it did.

A dark beam rushed out of my hands, slamming straight into Dimitri and knocking him backwards into the wall. I couldn't see anything, the darkness covered my every sight and I couldn't feel anything besides anger.

And suddenly I was pulled into Lissa's head. She was yelling frantically at Christian who was driving in one of the school's SUV's.

"Hurry! We might not make it!" She cried, anger and frustration radiating from her core. Christian looked at her, a hint of pure fear showing in his eyes.

"How do you know?!" He growled.

"I just do!" She yelled and they pulled into the warehouse's dirt parking area. "See, there's her car." Lissa pointed.

Suddenly, pain overwhelmed me and I was brought back into my own body. Dimitri had slammed me against the wall, holding me by the neck. He had a look of pure hatred and I knew once and for all that my Dimitri was gone, without a doubt, and would never be returning. I swallowed hard as a lump rose in my throat.

He was leaning into me, his venomous fangs sent a rush a fear through me though I couldn't quite convince myself that I didn't want this to happen.

And then he pulled his head back, looking at the door. And all of a sudden, I was back on the floor, clutching at my throat and pulling in air. I looked down at Dimitri's feet--he was stepping on the blow-up button. Then Dimitri ran out the door, leaving me behind.

I only stared after him for a second before getting up and running through the same door he had just a second ago.

I looked to my right and left, from the right side, a blast of heat slammed into me, causing my eyes to water. Without any thought, I ran to the left, the entrance of the cellar being straight ahead, about half a mile away.

I ran with all the strength I had left, which wasn't much. On top of being kicked, slammed against the floor, and having blood run down my body, the burst of darkness had taken a lot out of me.

I could feel myself slowing as I got to the stairs that led up to the cellar door. I quickly skipped up the steps two at a time. But my foot got caught on the third step. I tripped, falling forward and my hands automatically reached out to catch my fall.

My needs hit the edge of the old, wooden stairs and broke the skin. It did the same with my hands. But none of that mattered--I barely felt it--as the heat burned my skin from behind. I turned around, seeing the huge ball of fire coming toward me, destroying everything in it's path.

Then it felt as if everything was moving in slow motion, like I couldn't move fast enough. I ran up the stairs and through the doors with strength that I didn't know I had. I jumped as soon as I hit earth and rolled, covering my face incase I didn't get far enough from the building.

The building exploded in one loud ball of fury, splinters of wood and shards of glass flying in ever direction. I felt more than heard Lissa running toward me. This had all happened so fast, I forgot all about her.

She yelled my name, I know she did, but all I could think about was Dimitri. He's still in there! I have to save him! I got up weakly and ran toward the flames.

"Dimitri!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, half hysterical. "Dimitri! No! Dimitri!" I had never heard myself scream that way before, not even when he was getting bitten in the cave. It was blood-curdling and I couldn't believe it had come out of my own mouth.

I ran to where the flames began and before I could go through them, I was restrained. I didn't know who was doing it, but I struggled relentlessly against them. They can't keep me from Dimitri! He needs my help! I have to save him! I told myself as I continued to thrash them around. Even with all the blood loss and the damages to my body, I was stronger than I had ever been before.

Finally they let go and I ran to the edge of the flames once more. There was another explosion that sent the rest of the building to pieces and then it collapsed, one huge fire lighting up the surface.

"No!" I screamed, falling to my knees and sobs heaved through my body as I shook convulsively. "Dimitri," I cried weakly, my voice wavering as the sobs built up in my throat and I screamed again. "Dimitri! NO!" Then I was embraced in someone's arms. It was Christian.

I leapt into his chest, pulling at his sleeves and heaving sobs into his shirt. He put his arms around me, not knowing what else to do. "He's gone, Chris! He's gone!" I yelled, though his shirt muffled most of it.

Then he picked me up, handing me over to another set of strong arms. I put my arms tightly around their neck and pulled myself into them as I continued crying. They carried me to the SUV that they had drove here in and whoever it was slid into one of the seats, still cradling me close to them.

I opened my eyes and saw a blurry version of Adrian. His emerald eyes staring back at me with such intensity that it made me cry even more. He stroked my face, trying to wipe away the bloody tears. He smiled weakly, trying to reassure me and I closed my eyes again, not ever wanting to open them again.

Sure, I should be so lucky.

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**Hey all! So how was it? Tell me with a, REVIEW. Their the best way to describe whether you liked it or not. Well, I gotta go now so yeah! Keep reading and reviewing! I'll update as soon as possible!**

**~Jess**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! Sorry once again, that I'm taking forever to write yatta yatta yatta. You catch the drift. Well, today was my last day of school and I'm immensely tired. But I typed this up, though it's not very long, and I hope you like it! I want to thank all my reviewers because you guys are what makes this story what it is. Oh and Boobeary615 tells me that you should go to this link to vote for D+R as the best paranormal couple :** .net/?p=7479 **Thanks Boobeary615! One more thing before I let you read, I got a new email for fanfiction so you don't have to pm me (plus, it shows me the message on email anyway, so might as well have you send it straight to the source) the email is: just message me there if you have any questions or comments that aren't what would usually be a review. Thanks everyone!**

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**Chapter Fifteen**

Adrian stroked my hair, my head laying peacefully in his lap as we drove back to the academy. I was out of tears, out of…everything. I felt numb, unable to comprehend anything at all. It was all confusion and denial, and even though I knew that something had just happened, I just couldn't understand it, like it never happened.

But deep down, I knew that it had happened; Dimitri had been blown up. And all because of me.

Nothing could make that any better because I figured that if I wasn't there, or if I hadn't brought any dynamite, then he'd still be alive. Yes, he may have killed me, but I'd rather be dead than be without him.

My eyes burned, dried out. I blinked rapidly to try and save them from irritation, but it didn't help. Then Adrian wiped away something from under my eye. A silent tear. My last goodbye to Dimitri.

I closed my eyes, and this time, kept them close as I slipped off into unconsciousness. I didn't have any dreams. Nothing at all. Just darkness and sadness.

Waking up didn't make anything better. If anything, it made me feel worse--it showed me that I would never escape this pain that was surging through me.

Adrian shook me until he was sure that I was awake, but I never said a word--I wasn't sure if I was capable of putting together words anymore. He watched me with what seemed like worry and nerves.

Adrian caressed my face before he made me sit up. I was surprised to see that it was already morning, at least five. We were almost in front of the academy and Christian was parking.

I never noticed until now that neither Lissa nor Christian had said a word to me ever since I saw them at the warehouse. They seemed like they were deep in thought as they pushed open the doors of the SUV. Eddie, surprisingly, climbed out from the seat behind us, jumping out of the car. Adrian looked at me, unsure of how I could manage to get out. He climbed out, turning around and reaching his arms out to me.

I completely ignored his gesture of kindness and slipped out of the car without a word. I stumbled forward and when he tried to give me support, I shooed him away. I didn't want pity, or any sort of help for that matter. Yes, it was immature, but at this moment, I felt no need for maturity.

However, after a few stumbles, I grew lightheaded and lost my footing, falling slowly to the Earth. I heard someone call my name but all I could think about was that I couldn't move, couldn't put my hands out to protect my fall. And I wondered why that was.

It's a weird thing to think about falling without emotion or even caring that you were falling, but I managed to do just that. I didn't care about anything anymore, I just wanted to be gone, to be with Dimitri, wherever that may be.

All I could remember was the impact of hitting the ground--a sharp pain on the right side of my skull. Then I could feel the softness of the grass around me, welcoming anything that distracted me from the pain.

But I never fell into unconsciousness, which frustrated me. I kept my eyes open, seeing the rushing feet that ran toward me. Then I felt someone picking me up and shaking me, but I felt paralyzed, not even being able to hold up my head as I fell limp in whomever's arms.

Distantly, I could hear Lissa's shrill yells and being rushed forward, but that's all I could recall.

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I woke up in the medical center of the academy, not even knowing that I had fallen asleep. I looked around me, the normal sterile white walls covered with paintings and medical degrees being the first thing I saw. The second was Adrian sleeping on one of the beige-colored chairs sitting against the wall near the door.

I blinked rapidly to make sure that was reality in front of me. It was. But I did nothing more, not feeling up to talking or up to pretty much anything. So when Dr. Olendzki came into the room, I sighed exasperatedly.

She came up to where I was laying on the hospital-like bed and smiled genuinely. "Rose, I'm so glad you're awake! You scared us for a while there." She seemed to be waiting for a response, and when I didn't give her one, she just continued. "Are you experiencing any symptoms such as nausea or headaches?" I rolled my eyes and she sighed. "Rose, I'm going to need you to say something or else I'll diagnose you with the wrong information."

I scowled, "I'm fine!" my voice was rough and it hurt to say that, meaning it was dry. Dr. Olendzki smiled and left the room, returning with a glass of ice-cold water.

I didn't let her see it, but I was definitely grateful for relieving the pain. I drank the whole glass and then handed it back to her. She took it and set it on the white granite countertop next to the sink.

"Better?" She raised an eye brow and I just scowled again. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, we've checked the head injuries and you had a fracture in your skull, but we fixed you right up. It'll just need a few weeks to recover fully. Also, you had a lot of cuts and bruises. We have some antibiotics to get rid of the infections, but, other than that, you're all set to go." She patted my knee, leaving a sharp, throbbing pain where it came in contact with her hand.

She seemed to realize that it hurt me and smiled apologetically as she left the room. And when she close the door, the sound woke up Adrian. It was a pretty funny sight--him flying forward and looking around nervously--but I couldn't laugh, couldn't smile.

And then he looked at me and smiled sadly, getting up to come to the bed. "Hey." he said, his voice solemn.

I stared at him for a while an then said, "Hi." It was dry, but at least it made him happy to see me talking again.

"Lissa had to go to her classes, but she said to make sure you were okay._ Are_ you okay?" He asked innocently.

"Yes.... Wait, Lissa-" I forgot all about her in my desperation for Dimitri. "If she was here, why didn't she just-"

"Heal you?" Adrian finished, and I nodded. "She wasn't strong enough yet. I mean, when she used all her powers on that Strigoi," he shook his head, "it took a lot out of her. We weren't even sure that she could have saved-" then his words abruptly cut off as he remembered that Dimitri was the reason that I was in this major depression.

I sighed, "Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov. Yes, he died. Yes, I'm sad about that. But if we can't ever move on from that, then nothing will ever get done. I'm not going to start crying and crawl into a fetal position each time you say his name. In fact, Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri. He's dead! He's gone! And there's nothing I can do about it." I managed to keep my voice strong, even though I felt like crumbling into nothing as I said it. None of it was true and every word pierced through my heart until it felt like it was completely ripped apart.

Adrian looked away for a few seconds, then looked back at me with the full intensity of his eyes. "Rose, we both know there's more to it than that. You loved him."

Yet another stab at my already bleeding heart. "Loved, past tense." I said roughly. I knew if people kept pitying me and acting like they couldn't talk about anything around me, then nothing would ever move forward.

He seemed astonished and he didn't say anything for a while. "Rose," he whispered, looking down.

He took hold of my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I tried to smile but it probably came out more like a grimace.

Then the door opened and Christian and Lissa walked in hand-in-hand. Lissa gasped when she saw me awake and rushed toward me, almost ripping Christian's arm out of his socket.

She hugged me tightly and began to sob. "Rose, Rose I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I couldn't..." I couldn't tell whether she was talking about saving Dimitri or not healing me, but either way, I couldn't help but hug her back.

"It's okay, Liss. I'm back now, that's all that matters." My voice was smooth and strong, not giving any hint of the extreme sadness I was feeling right now. I was really good at hiding everything these days.

She just kept on sobbing for a while. After a while, the sobs let up and she pulled away, showing a red-eyed Lissa with tears pouring heavily down her cheeks. She smiled halfheartedly and kept hold of my shoulders.

"Rose, really, you don't have to be strong all the time. You can let loose every once in a while."

I shook my head, "I already did," I winced as I remembered my breakdown, and how I still wasn't over it yet. "and that's the point, I can't do that again. It's too hard to keep going on if I keep falling like that. You don't understand_,_ I_ have_ to be strong because if I'm not, then it could put your life in danger."

"Rose, you don't _have_ to be anything but yourself."

I smiled weakly, "Exactly."

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Olendzki let me loose a few days later, probably because I complained relentlessly about being held against my will. But she said that if I left, that I'd have to keep it easy, not doing any of my novice classes until the fracture was fully healed.

Oh, that's another "great" thing, they--my "friends"--decided to re-enroll me in St. Vlad's, so now, unfortunately, I get to go to all my normal classes and graduate with Lissa. I had no idea why I was feeling so resentful, I mean, I get to graduate with Lissa, I get to be her guardian.

So what's my problem?

I sighed as I looked around my room. They had given me the same one I had before and I stared at the blank, tan walls. Man, my room was boring! I turned to the side, wincing as the bed came in contact with one of the deep gashes on my arm that wasn't fully healed yet.

I sat up in my uncomfortable bed, rubbing my wounded arm as I thought about what to do. It was Sunday and we didn't have classes, so, that left me with wander around the school looking for something random to do. It sure as hell was better than sitting here, staring at the wall and thinking about things that were a lot to bare.

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**Sorry, it wasn't much, but today was the last day of school and I have to go to my cousins' graduation. So, not much time. But tell me what you think of it with a review, and if you have any questions or anything like that, email me and the email adress that I listed at the top. Thanks for reading!!! :)) LOVE YA GUYS!!**

~Jess


	16. sorry guys!

**Hey guys, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long but I've just been sooo busy! My cousins are visiting from cali and so I have to help take care of them, and then my brother's wedding is coming up in a month, not to mention fam vacay which I just got back from. I'm so sorry!!!! I just wanted to let you know that it might be a while before I update again and I'm sorry that you thought I updated! I feel so bad. But don't worry, I'll try to update and finish the story before the book comes out!! But I can't make any promises...**

**Sorry yet again!**

**~Jess**


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